Winner of ‘fattest bear’ competition crowned ahead of hibernation season

The winner of this year’s Fat Bear Week in Alaska has been crowned.

Bear number 747 won the award for fattest bear at Katmai National Park and Preserve after a week of competitive online voting.

The bear thanked the salmon at Brooks River for helping him win the accolade, along with “all the little bears he pushed out of the way to gain access to the best fishing spot of them all”.

In a statement, the park said: “This year he (747) really packed on the pounds, looking like he was fat enough to hibernate in July and yet continuing to eat until his belly seemed to drag along the ground by late September.”

The winning bear was crowned after receiving more than 47,000 votes from fans.

The national park said the chubby bear will celebrate by “waddling away from the river and enjoying a comfortable hibernation”.

Fat Bear Week runs annually at Katmai National Park, celebrating the successes of its 2,200 brown bears in packing on the pounds ready for hibernation season.