On the last day of September 2024, the Fat Bear Week contest was set to begin. But two brown bears were caught in a deadly struggle that was live streamed across the world.
The two bruins bobbed up and down on the Brooks River on the Alaskan peninsula, splashing, tussling, and snapping their jaws at one another. The male bear, 469, drowned the female bear, 402, and took bites from her body.
Researchers say that, while killing and cannibalism are normal parts of bear behavior, it’s impossible to know why bear 469 attacked bear 402 when he did. Michael Fitz, naturalist and Fat Bear Week founder, says he often finds himself wishing he could ask bears why they’re doing what they’re doing.
