Why talk about who won the latest presidential debate when you can talk about who won Alaska’s Katmai National Park & Preserve annual Fat Bear Tuesday contest. Otis, who Motherboard reports weighs “around 1000 pounds,” was crowned the park’s fattest bear earlier this week after a week-long competition.
“It was a close race, and many worthy opponents gave it their all, which we applaud them for,” the park wrote on Facebook. “Not all bears have what it takes to survive in the unforgiving land of Alaska, let alone make as prosperous a living as 480 Otis.”
So what’s Otis’s secret to becoming a champion fat bear? Basically: Don’t move very much and let the food come to you. “He’s a zen master, Otis, he sits there and waits for the fish to come to him and he doesn’t expend any energy unnecessarily,” park volunteer David Kopshever said in a Facebook video.
The park elaborated in another Facebook post: “It’s survival of the fattest in the bear world, and 480 Otis has found some seriously successful strategies for plumping up. Fishing primarily in the far pool (AKA Otis’s office,) 480 stays out of harm’s way, avoiding more dominant bears like 856 and 747, who prefer to fish in the productive ‘jacuzzi’ area. With patience and learned experience, Otis saves his energy by remaining in one place all day, converting salmon into the maximum amount of lard around his belly.”
Otis, who is believed to be 19 or 20 years old, has been seen eating as many as 40 fish per day, which—combined with his massive weight—means he’ll be well prepared for winter. This is also the second time he’s won the fattest bear award.
“Otis may not be the most dominant or lively bear around,” the park noted, “but he is the fattest.”
