The Katmai National Park is home to more than 2,200 brown bears. Each year between June and July hundreds of bears flock to a section of the national park called Brooks Falls where they relentlessly feed on sockeye salmon as they swim upstream to spawn.
In light of this, the park has set up a virtual experience for nature-lovers to get their outdoor fix: A bear cam.
As the salmon swim upstream to lay their eggs, the bears compete for the ideal fishing spot, with the largest and most aggressive bear claiming the best fishing spot.
In 2018, it was recorded that a bear named 747 was able to catch up to 18 salmon in three hours according to Medium.com. That means if each salmon weighed around 2.3kg, 747 would have eaten 68 kg worth of salmon in just three hours.
The Katmai National Park bear cam is available to watch 24 hours a day and along with providing viewers with hours of entertainment, those watching can take part in the ‘Fat bear week’.
The fat bear contest allows viewers to rank their favourite bear as they gradually gain weight in preparation for the long winter season.
Last year a bear by the name of 435 or Holly, was crowned fat bear week champion by the The Katmai National Park.
She is fat. She is fabulous. She is 435 Holly. And you voted her the 2019 Fat Bear Week Champion. All hail Holly whose healthy heft will help her hibernate until the spring. Long live the Queen of Corpulence!#FatBearWeek #FindYourPark #BearCam pic.twitter.com/AkSBtgZqPi
— Katmai National Park (@KatmaiNPS) October 9, 2019
Take a look at the bear cam livestream below:
Image credit: Pixabay
