We're big fans of Fat Bear Week here at Not the Bee:
Alas, it's a fragile system, one always teetering on the edge of civic collapse:
And like any unstable political system, Fat Bear Week is also at high risk of assassinations:
Fat Bear Week, a celebration of brown bears' survival instincts, brought a grisly reminder of the animals' predatory nature on Monday, when a male bear, 469, killed a female, 402, at Katmai National Park & Preserve in Alaska.
The unsettling scene was captured by a popular live webcam that follows the bears on the Brooks River.
Video of the unpleasant incident can be seen in this webcam footage.
Here's a clip where the she-bear got killed:
Rough stuff.
Both bears are somewhat legendary, at least among those who follow bear stuff:
402 was 'the mother of at least eight litters, more than any other bear currently at Brooks River. This includes two litters of four cubs apiece,' the national park said last year. In 2013, 469 won fans by overcoming a serious injury to his left hind leg and foot to fish at Brooks Falls. One year earlier, he was seen with an unidentified bear's remains.
The park folks, meanwhile, would like you to remember that these are wild animals, not characters in some Disney documentary:
For those who enjoy watching the bears of Katmai Park, 469's killing of 402 is a reminder of a stark reality: While the gigantic brown bears are oblivious to their roles in an annual online bracket, they're also apex predators that are very aware of the competition for food and space — and raw calories.
Brutal stuff. That's nature.
Fortunately, voting is back up (hopefully no other fat bears kill each other):
Here's the most recent bracket (you can vote daily here).
And the full breakdown of what happened for those who want a lesson in how bears are deadly savages (who knew?):
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇
