The competitors were due to be revealed on Monday, but were delayed after a deadly attack was caught on one of the park’s live feeds.
469, an adult male bear also known as Patches, was seen approaching an older female, 402 in the Brooks River on Monday.
He then attacked and killed her.
“National parks like Katmai protect not only the wonders of nature, but also the harsh realities,” park officials said in a statement after bear 402’s death.
“Each bear seen on the webcams is competing with others to survive.”
Mike Fritz, a resident naturalist at Explore.org which hosts the live stream, said 402 “likely died by drowning”.
“We love to celebrate the success of bears with full stomachs and ample body fat,” he said.
“But the ferocity of bears is real, the risks that they face are real, their lives can be hard and their deaths can be painful.”
I wasn’t sure if this was going to be called off after one competitor killed another on camera.
Wow, I had missed that: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-03/fat-bear-week-returns-2024/104319754
Nature red in tooth and claw indeed.