Age Group:
All AgesProgram Description
Event Details
From the sandy shores of San Diego to the rugged wilderness of Alaska, experience Fat Bear Week like never before!
Join us at the library to watch these furry giants of Katmai National Park bulk up for winter hibernation, and vote for your favorite bear champion—all while learning how protecting wildlife impacts ecosystems everywhere, even here at home!
Our celebration begins with the 2024 Bracket Reveal on October 1 at 4 p.m. PST, where you can discover which mighty bears will face off in this year’s competition.
Plus, throughout the entire Fat Bear Week (October 2 - 8) we’ll be live-streaming the action from explore.org all day at the library!
Drop in anytime to catch the bears in their natural habitat, learn fun facts, and witness the wilderness from the comfort of San Diego. 🌊🐾
Mark your calendar for this wild experience!
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Fat Bear Week is an annual competition held by the Katmai National Park in that celebrates the healthy appetites of brown bears
as well as the nourishing ecosystem in which the bears thrive. Each year, bears gather in the park and feast on one of the greatest salmon runs left on earth.
Katmai’s brown bears are fattest in late summer and early fall. It is the end-product of a summer-long effort to satisfy their profound hunger and prepare for winter hibernation. During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and can lose one-third of their body weight. Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den.
To get fat, bears gorge on the richest and most accessible foods they can find. In Katmai National Park that often means salmon. Dozens of bears gather at Brooks River to feast on salmon from late June until mid-October.
All votes are cast at fatbearweek.org in this March-madness style bracket competition in which bears compete daily in head-to-head matchups for the title of 2024 Fat Bear Week Champion.