Catching Up: 32 Chunk Crowned King of Fat Bear Week 2025
Weighing an estimated 1,200 pounds and overcoming a broken jaw, Chunk defeated bear 856 in the final round of the online, bracket-style tournament.
Photo: C Loberg/National Park Service
Overview
Date: September 30 - October 1, 2025
Summary: The 2025 Fat Bear Week competition concluded with brown bear 32, known as Chunk, being crowned champion. Weighing an estimated 1,200 pounds and overcoming a broken jaw, Chunk defeated bear 856 in the final round of the online, bracket-style tournament, securing over 96,000 votes. The annual event, held at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, attracted a record number of participants with over 1.5 million total votes. Beyond the competition, Fat Bear Week serves to educate the public about the importance of brown bears, their habitat, and their critical need to fatten up on salmon for winter hibernation, especially amidst a record-setting salmon run this year.
Sources
The New York Times - All of the Bears Were Fat, but Chunk Was the Fattest of All
NBC News - Scarred and broken-jawed, ‘32 Chunk’ is 2025’s ‘Fat Bear Week’ winner
Not sure what Fat Bear Week is all about? Meet the bears of Fat Bear Week over at explore.org.
Remembering the legendary 480 Otis, via Backpacker: Farewell to Otis, the King of Fat Bear Week
Photo: Katmai National Park
Key Points
Brown bear 32, known as Chunk, was crowned the champion of the 2025 Fat Bear Week competition.
Bear 856 was the runner-up in the online, bracket-style tournament.
Chunk secured 96,350 votes in the final round, defeating 856 who received 63,725 votes.
Chunk’s estimated weight was approximately 1,200 pounds.
A significant narrative surrounding Chunk’s victory was his resilience and adaptability in successfully gaining weight despite a broken jaw, an injury likely sustained in a fight.
The annual competition takes place at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, showcasing brown bears gorging on salmon to prepare for winter hibernation.
Fat Bear Week, which originated in 2014, serves as an educational initiative to inform the public about bear ecology, their habitat, and the critical importance of their pre-hibernation feeding.
The 2025 competition garnered a record number of votes, exceeding 1.5 million in total.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times provided specific semi-final vote counts, noting Chunk received 82,913 votes and 856 received 76,665 votes. It also quoted naturalist Mike Fitz on Chunk’s “adaptability” and “resilience” in the face of his injury, emphasizing that bears in the park do not receive medical care. The article also specified the 1.6 million total votes as the most in the contest’s history.
CNN drew comparisons between Fat Bear Week and famous sports rivalries. It detailed that Chunk defeated bear 602, “Flotato,” by roughly 70%-30% in the semifinals, and that 856 beat two-time champion Grazer by around 68%-32%, with Grazer being the last female bear in the competition. It also highlighted Katmai as the fourth-largest national park in the US.
NBC News elaborated on the bears’ feeding habits, noting they sometimes eat only the skin, brains, and eggs of salmon to focus on the most calories. It included a celebratory quote from Explore.org’s X post: “Chunk the Hunk. The Chunkster. 32 Chunk,” and “All hail the new king of Brooks River,” and clarified that Chunk’s jaw injury is “healing but never expected to return to normal.”
The Washington Post revealed Chunk’s history of finishing second three previous years before his 2025 victory. It mentioned the past use of LIDAR technology for weight estimates. The article uniquely detailed the impact of a record run of fall salmon, with Katmai Conservancy spokesperson Naomi Boak stating it “decreased conflict in the river,” and Ranger Sarah Bruce estimating around 200,000 salmon made their way up Brooks River. It also recounted a dramatic incident from 2024 where Chunk attacked Grazer’s cub, leading to its death and Grazer’s subsequent victory over Chunk in that year’s voting.
Contrasting Details
Total Vote Count: The New York Times reported “1.6 million total votes” as the most in the contest’s history, whereas The Washington Post stated the contest “attracted over 1.5 million votes.”
Chunk’s Past Status: The New York Times described Chunk as “something of an underdog at the start of this year’s contest” due to his injury. In contrast, The Washington Post noted Chunk had “narrowly finishing in second place three previous years,” indicating a consistently strong contender rather than an initial underdog status.
Semi-final Opponents: CNN explicitly stated that Chunk defeated bear 602, “Flotato,” in the semifinals. The New York Times mentioned Chunk “handily defeating their respective competitors in the semifinal round” but did not name Chunk’s specific opponent in that round, only detailing 856 beating Grazer.
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