There’s a new heavyweight champion of the world – and this one has absolutely no intention of going on a diet.
A brown bear named Backpack has been crowned the 2026 Fat Bear Week champion after successfully eating his way to glory at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Officially known as Bear 89, Backpack defeated fellow finalist Bear 910 in a surprisingly tight public vote, collecting 103,334 votes to his rival’s 98,253.
More than 2.3 million votes were cast throughout this year’s competition, which celebrates the remarkable transformation of Katmai’s brown bears as they pile on the kilos ahead of their winter hibernation.
And when it comes to piling them on, Backpack is something of a professional.
Park ranger Sarah Bruce estimates the 20-year-old male now weighs somewhere between 1000 and 1200 pounds – roughly 450 to 545kg – after spending the summer making the most of Alaska’s abundant salmon buffet.
His before-and-after photographs are particularly impressive, showing a relatively trim-looking bear at the beginning of summer transformed into something resembling a very large furry beanbag by September.
But Backpack’s victory wasn’t entirely about his magnificent waistline.
He has been a favourite among viewers of Katmai’s live bear cameras for years, earning a reputation as something of a gentle giant who generally avoids the squabbles and drama of life on the river.
“He’s more of a stoic presence on the river,” Bruce said. “He doesn’t really get into drama or cause any upset in the hierarchy. He holds his own very quietly.”
Backpack also has championship blood running through him.
His mother Holly won Fat Bear Week in 2019, making the family something close to the Kennedys of competitive bear fatness.
In fact, Mum is also responsible for his unusual nickname.
As a cub, Backpack had a habit of climbing onto Holly’s back while she swam across the Brooks River, effectively turning his mother into his own personal water taxi.
His journey to heavyweight glory hasn’t always been easy, however.
As a youngster in 2007, Backpack suffered a serious leg injury that left park staff wondering whether he would survive. He eventually recovered and grew into one of Brooks River’s largest and most familiar residents.
These days he can often be found sitting on a favourite rock in the river, quietly surveying proceedings and waiting for his next salmon to swim past.
Fat Bear Week began in 2014 and has since become a worldwide online phenomenon, with fans voting in a knockout-style competition between bears preparing for winter.
Despite the name, the contest has a serious purpose. Building enormous fat reserves is essential to the bears’ survival, allowing them to make it through the long winter months without eating or drinking.
Which means that while most sporting champions celebrate by hitting the gym, Backpack’s winning formula is considerably more appealing.
Eat plenty, avoid unnecessary exercise and sit on your favourite rock.
Finally, a fitness regime we can all get behind.
