Voting begins for Alaska's Fat Bear Week after a contestant was killed in an attack
Voting in Katmai National Park's famed Fat Bear Week was underway Wednesday after a bear killed one of this year's competitors and delayed the bracket reveal by a day.
Bear #469 attacked and killed bear #402 on Monday morning at Brooks River in the Alaska park, the National Park Service said in a release, pushing Monday's bracket reveal to Tuesday.
The attack and the subsequent killing were captured live on webcams that have been set up in the park to follow the bears all summer. The nonprofit organization explore.org, which hosts and broadcasts the bear livestreams, held a live conversation Monday to discuss the attack.
"National parks like Katmai protect not only the wonders of nature, but also the harsh realities," spokesperson Matt Johnson said in the park service release. "Each bear seen on the webcams is competing with others to survive."
Fat Bear Week, which the park service calls "an annual celebration of success," puts 12 bears in the Alaskan Peninsula to the test before they head into hibernation for the winter.
