If the government shuts down at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday morning, many, many government operations will be affected. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) would cease sending out checks. That’s seven million women — many of them single mothers — whose WIC cards would be rejected by grocery stores as early as next week.
But that’s nothing compared to the cancellation of Alaska’s celebrated “Fat Bear Week.”
Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve is the site of the unusual contest where residents vote for their favorite bear after the animals gorge themselves on sockeye salmon. The problem is that, with the government shutdown, no one will be able to access the park’s website to vote on which beast is the fattest.
As long as the government is closed, the contest will need to be delayed. One official noted that even with the shutdown, “The bears will continue to get fat.”
Fat Bear Week was started in 2014 and has became a staple for fans of Katmai National Park and Preserve’s corpulent bruins. Using live bear cams, viewers can watch the chunky carnivores chow down on sockeye salmon at Brooks Falls. During the event, people vote on their favorite bears in a tournament-style bracket.
Over the years, Katmai’s behemoth bears have become global celebrities. Last year, a million people voted for their favorite — granting a bear called 747 the lofty title of fattest bear. Fat Bear Week is intended to celebrate Katmai’s ecosystem and the bears’ insatiable appetite for salmon as they pack on pounds before they hibernate for the winter.
There’s still a Fat Bear Junior competition, which started Thursday. The Anchorage Daily News reports that “cubs in a smaller bracket compete for votes to enter the larger Fat Bear Week bracket.” Does it count if momma bear catches the salmon for them?
Over the years, Katmai’s behemoth bears have become global celebrities. Last year, a million people voted for their favorite — granting a bear called 747 the lofty title of fattest bear. Fat Bear Week is intended to celebrate Katmai’s ecosystem and the bears’ insatiable appetite for salmon as they pack on pounds before they hibernate for the winter.
The National Park Service was still promoting Fat Bear Week with a pun-laden social media post on Thursday afternoon.
You’ve probably seen the bears at Brooks Falls catching salmon with dozens of other bears.
Many Grizzlies and 10’s of thousands of Sockeye Salmon tonight. https://t.co/6JBjBDiWPb Brooks Falls Brown Bears Live. Check it out! https://t.co/FTo2cYPjZW
— Tim Grady (@_TimGrady) July 14, 2020
And yes, the contrast of Fat Bear Week with children possibly going hungry was deliberate. There’s nothing amusing about WIC beneficiaries being cut off because of some chest-thumping nihilists believing that shutting down the government is a smart way to govern the country.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member