Potential Impacts of Government Shutdown on Iconic Alaska Tradition

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The impending government shutdown may disrupt a beloved Alaska tradition: Fat Bear Week.

Fat Bear Week, a highly anticipated event in Alaska, involves residents choosing their favorite well-fed brown bear in Katmai National Park & Preserve. Viewers can participate in the tournament-style contest by voting online for the bears they want to advance to the next round. The competition lasts for a week until a final champion is declared.

Last year, over 1 million votes were collected.

However, there’s a problem. The national park employees are responsible for counting and releasing the votes, and if a government shutdown occurs, they won’t have access to the official park’s social media accounts, triggering a halt in the contest.

“If there is a lapse, we will have to postpone Fat Bear Week,” stated Cynthia Hernandez, a spokesperson for the park, in an email to The Associated Press.

If Congress fails to reach an agreement to fund the federal government, operations will cease on Sunday. Fat Bear Week is scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

The park is home to an estimated 2,200 brown bears, outnumbering the human population on the peninsula. During the six to eight months leading up to winter, the bears feast on salmon at Brooks Falls, ensuring their survival through the cold season.

The Katmai brown bears are famous for their impressive act of catching sockeye salmon and fattening themselves up for winter. They attract a large number of visitors to the park, prompting the construction of viewing stands, a bridge, and a boardwalk over the Brooks River to ensure visitor safety.

explore.org operates several cameras that provide live streams of the bears in Katmai.