Fat Bear Week Champion Crowned After Ballot-Stuffing Scandal

A hugely popular web poll to find the fattest bear in an Alaskan national park has become the target of rampant ballot stuffing, according to organizers, but in the end a champion has been crowned. 

With the country's political class obsessing over election integrity, the annual Fat Bear Week poll seemed like the perfect example of a free and fair ballot.

But even this model of democratic probity appeared to have been sullied after a spam campaign to elevate Bear 435 over Bear 747, in a crucial semifinal head-to-head to determine which creature had piled on the most pounds.

"Like bears stuff their face with fish, our ballot box, too, has been stuffed," tweeted Katmai National Park Service, which organizes the annual tongue-in-cheek vote.

"It appears someone has decided to spam the Fat Bear Week poll, but fortunately it is easy for us to tell which votes are fraudulent," the park tweeted.

Phew.

After a recount, Bear 747 -- whose enormous mass and moniker have led to comparisons with Boeing's jumbo plane -- was named winner. He faced off against Bear 901 in Tuesday's grand finale - and was declared the decisive winner.

According to organizers, 747 won the championship round by a vote of 68,105 to 56,876.

The week-long contest features match-ups between bears, with users voting for ones they believe look fattest after months of gorging on up to 100 pounds of salmon a day.

The layer of chubbiness is vital to help the bears through their hibernation during the cold of an Alaskan winter.

According to organizers, 747 won the championship round by a vote of 68,105 to 56,876.

The week-long contest features match-ups between bears, with users voting for ones they believe look fattest after months of gorging on up to 100 pounds of salmon a day.

The layer of chubbiness is vital to help the bears through their hibernation during the cold of an Alaskan winter.

First published on October 12, 2022 / 6:18 AM

© 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.