A bear weighing in at over 1,200 pounds — with a broken (but healing) jaw — is the 2025 Fat Bear Week champion. It’s the first time number 32, or as he’s aptly nicknamed Chunk, has been dubbed the fattest bear in Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Park officials announced his victory Tuesday evening, after he triumphed in matchup after matchup in a bracket that drew a record-number of voters from around the world. The final face-off was between him and number 856, who’s described by explore.org as a male bear in his mid-20's with an “assertive disposition equal to his size.” Chunk defeated him with no trouble. He earned 96,000 votes in the finals, over 30,000 more than 856.
Geoff Hartley wasn’t surprised. He lives in northwest Arkansas and is a huge fan of Chunk, so much so that he owns multiple T-shirts repping the bear.
“Fat Bear Tuesday is always a great day. But today, for Chunk faithfuls like me, it's just really special to see the bear that you've like, I mean, I love this bear,” he said while holding a Chunk campaign poster from 2023. “I guess this is what you feel like when your team wins the Super Bowl.”
While this is Chunk’s first Fat Bear Week win, he’s a familiar and competitive snout in the annual showdown, now in its 11th year. He lost the title to number 128, aka Grazer, the past two years. Chunk also made headlines in 2024 for killing one of Grazer’s cubs on the live cameras after the cub slipped over a waterfall in the national park.
Katmai park ranger Sarah Bruce said she thinks fans connected more with Chunk’s story this year.
Chunk is easily recognized while fishing on the Brooks River. He has dark brown fur, a noticeable brow ridge, a scar across his muzzle and, most notably, a broken jaw that staff say will never fully heal. He likely broke his jaw during a fight with another bear during mating season. Bruce said the injury didn’t slow him down.
“He's a very resilient bear, and he kind of adapted to a new eating style with his jaw broken,” she said. “I think he just has really great stories to tell. I think folks really cling onto what they can learn from the bears through their resilience, through their perseverance and their boldness.”
The bears attracted a huge, virtual crowd this year. The bracket drew more than 1.6 million votes from around the world, which Bruce said is the highest number in the competition’s history.
“This year, it's just really taken off in the media, even more than it has in the past,” she said. “I think people are really excited to have some happy news and something that's kind of exciting.”
