Backpack eats his way to Fat Bear Week champ

By PBS NewsHour

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Backpack has been declared the winner of Fat Bear Week 2026. Of the more than 200,000 votes cast in the final, Backpack beat out Bear 910 by just 5,000 votes. The annual online competition, run by Explore.org and Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, puts bears into bracket style matchups as they prepare for hibernation. Backpack comes from championship pedigree; his mother, Holly, won the competition in 2019. In midsummer, the bears typically weigh between 600 to 900 pounds. Eating as many as 30 fish per day, the bears can end up weighing upwards of 1,000 pounds before hibernating for the winter. Backpack was a consummate competitor. His contestant profile noted that he did not show much aggression to his rival bears, noting that “he prefers to use a quiet strength to gain access to preferred fishing spots.” Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Sign up fo

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