Alaska’s Fat Bear Week proves conservation can be joyful

For one rabid corner of the internet, October is Octobear. On October 5th, Katmai National Park & Preserve in southern Alaska kicked off Fat Bear Week, when the park’s brown bears are pitted against each other in a bracket challenge much like college basketball’s March Madness tournament. Fans use before and after photos to vote for the bear they think has gained the most weight over summer to prepare for hibernation. But what began as a niche contest for conservationists has become a global campaign where superfans stump for their favourite chunkster to be crowned the fattest of them all.