The Results Are In,

for the fat bear award of the year,

photograph NPS via USA Today, and here he is "The votes are in – you’ve decided to upgrade to fish class & fly with 747!" the park announced on Twitter, more than 793,000 votes were cast in last year's competition, then a new record for Fat Bear Week. Lian Law, visual information specialist at the park and lead for Fat Bear Week, told USA TODAY in September that the goal was to reach 1 million votes. Initial results from 2022 voting showed the contest gathered more than 900,000 votes, you may remember on Wednesday I made a post about the rigged votes, as it happens the 2022 edition of Fat Bear Week was unlike any other, and even with a voting scandal that rocked southwest Alaska, 747 was crowned this year's champion of choice, the bear's second title in three years, 747 is the largest bear known to use the Brooks River to stock up on salmon, potentially weighing as much as 1,400 pounds, according to the park a "skilled and efficient angler," 747 has sat at the top of the bear hierarchy in the park since last summer, and got there not because of aggression, but rather just his size. 747 captured the title over contestant 901, who was competing in her first Fat Bear Week. The runner-up is known to defend her fishing spots from other bears, despite being only 6 years old, so it looks like 901 is the one to watch in future contests, 747 is one of an estimated 2,200 brown bears that occupy the 4-million acre national park. The brown bears gain so much weight because when they hibernate, they can lose one-third of their weight since they aren't eating or drinking, relying on their fat reserves to keep them going throughout the winter, so I guess anytime now they will all be going down to the woods today for a good snooze!