Bear enthusiasts across the globe huddled around their web browsers early this summer as the folks at live nature network Explore.org turned on their wildly popular bear cams at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. The salmon run was beginning at Brooks River, and skinny bears emerging from hibernation were ready for another season of feasting. By autumn each year, the bears gain a massive amount of weight to prepare for their next overwintering, and after a lively round of online voting by their devoted internet fans one will be crowned “Fat Bear Week” champion.
The bear cam viewers celebrated as they recognized familiar floofy faces returning to Brooks Falls, a popular bear fishing spot because of the temporary barrier it provides for migrating salmon. But online chats were filled with nervous anticipation about 480 Otis, the reigning 2021 Fat Bear Week champion. The beloved bear hadn’t yet made his return. First documented at the falls in 2001, Otis is believed to be between 25 and 27 years old—an elder for a brown bear, a species whose life expectancy is about 20 years, though many live longer, according to the park service. Was last season the final time Otis would return to his favorite fishing spot, which fans lovingly call his “office?”
When the geriatric favorite finally made his season debut in late June, the excitement on Twitter seemed more akin to a sighting of Justin Bieber than a brown bear: “OTIS HAS ARRIVED,” Explore.org tweeted. “This is not a drill! You may now cry happy tears.” Relief and joy filled the thread replies: “I can’t believe I doubted him. Nothing but respect for the king,” one tweep wrote. “Welcome home, love of my life!!!” replied another. Another said simply: “The bear. The legend.”
Bears gather at Brooks Falls in large numbers. L. Law/Katmai National Park and Preserve
The brown bears of Katmai National Park have most certainly been elevated to celebrity status, thanks to the runaway success of Fat Bear Week and the Explore.org bear cams, which mark their tenth anniversary this year. The online bear battle, launching today following the release of the fat bear bracket on Monday, has been the subject of national and international media attention, and it’s inspired a line of popular…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Travel | smithsonianmag.com…