Donk as a yearling, observing his mom 806 as she fishes the lip of Brooks Falls. Donk looks like he's mimicking her stance.

Donk as a subadult, hanging out with his best friend 307 by the edge of the riverbank. 307 has a red dot on his coat—it's not blood, it's paint. The rangers marked him because he's had issues with trying to take fish from visitors and people need to be aware when he's nearby. Anyway, the two of youngsters spent a lot of time last fall.

It was impossible not to fall in love with baby Donk, especially after 806 saved him from the jaws of a male bear. As a yearling, he devoted himself to learning to fish. Then, thanks to the fish gods, last year was a record-breaking salmon run, and Donk spent his first year alone thriving. #katmai

A subadult brown bear stands in a river, grass growing up around him.

Thinking about my favorite boy. We call him Donk because he had donkey ears as a spring cub, but as a first-year subadult he has yet to receive a number from the park. His mother is the beautiful lip fisher 806, and his grandmother is the biggest sow on the river, 132. #katmai

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Two adorable fluffy bear cubs swim in a slowly moving river, their faces reflected. These are the cubs of the year of bear 26.

It's been a long week. You made it. Have some bear cubs. #katmai

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A close-up of a brown bear looking over his shoulder at the camera, standing in a rapidly flowing river. He has a prominent diagonal scar across his snout and his jaw is broken, hanging awkwardly open.

In bear chat today we're celebrating 2025's Fat Bear Week champion, the glorious 32 Chunk. Weighing in at over 1,200 lbs, Chunk is a true bruiser who has faced battle after battle and survived. He shocked us all in 2025 by playing with a younger male bear, 503. Chunk has so much to teach us. #katmai

A fat and fluffy brown bear lounging on a sand spit at the edge of a lake.

910 spent most of her September last year being fat and fabulous and taking naps. Truly an icon. #katmai

A view of the mouth of Naknek Lake and the mountains in the distance, lit up salmon pink.

The river watch area of Brooks River, with the camera tilted toward the sky, capturing the glorious orange on the clouds.

Looking downriver from Brooks Falls, the sky lit up pink.

A view of the river watch area again, lit up in orange.

I've been doing the yearly process of labeling and sorting my bear cam snaps and I just love the scenery in the fall. By September, the sun is setting early enough that you get to see the gorgeous sunsets (rather than them being in the middle of the night or not at all, because Alaska). #katmai

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A leggy young brown bear stands on a mossy rock in a river, the current rushing past behind him.

Here's a cute bear for you all. 144 was nicknamed "Cubzilla" because he was a huge yearling. He's 6 years old now and still SO leggy. I hope he sticks around so we can see how big he gets! His mother, 132, is probably the biggest sow at Brooks River. #katmai

Grazer and her yearling cub Biggie, fishing in the riffles area downriver from Brooks Falls. Grazer has her paw raised in anticipation of catching a fish.

128 Grazer. My gateway bear. By turns ferocious and caring, Grazer doesn't take shit but has incredible patience with the cubs of other sows. Refusing to be put in any box, Grazer shows the versatility and resilience of a brown bear mom. #katmai

The river watch view of the lower Brooks River at sunset, with a bear in silhouette swimming in the river. In the background is the slope of a mountain, with the sun setting at its base.

Mentally I'm here. #katmai

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A magpie photobombs a view of the river.

A bull moose stands in the river, lit up by evening sunlight.

A great horned owl in infrared, sitting at the top of a tree and looking directly at the camera.

A common merganser stands on a log, next to a row of fluffy chicks.

For #WorldWildlifeDay, I thought I'd share some of my favorite non-bear wildlife we've seen on the #katmai bear cams!

A brown bear with a (healed) broken jaw lounging in a river, framed by some driftwood in front of him and tall grass in the background.

No one does it quite like 32 Chunk. #katmai

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Donk, a subadult brown bear, walking through a grassy patch of river.

306, a young adult female brown bear, sitting in the river.

806 has successfully raised two litters, both of them w/one cub. The older is 306, who was born in 2020. She's a lip fisher like mom. The other is "Donk" (no number yet), who was born in 2023. He was nearly eaten by a male bear on cam as a cub, but 806 fought the male and saved little Donk. #katmai

A brown bear, lighter in color and smaller than average, standing at the edge of a waterfall with a freshly caught salmon in her mouth.

I love 806. She's fierce, independent, and an incredible mother. She fearlessly fishes the lip of the falls around much bigger bears and has since she was a subadult. She can and will fight to protect her cubs from predatory males and grumpy females. 806 is a rockstar. #katmai

A big round brown bear sow standing at the edge of a shallow river, with one foot perched on a log.

284 Electra got absolutely huge last year. The daughter of 708 Amelia, Electra is known for being a menace in camp and a general troublemaker for the rangers. Hopefully if she comes back with cubs this year she doesn't cause too much mayhem! #katmai

Very fluffy Grazer and Biggie, mother and cub brown bears. Grazer is very blonde and Biggie is chocolatey brown. They are sitting next to each other in the tall grass at the edge of the river, like they're posing for a picture.

Fat Bear Week champ 128 Grazer and her girl Biggie. #katmai

A brown bear sits upright in a swiftly flowing river. He has defined pectoral muscles visible through his fur. One of his ears is slightly wonky, which happened in a fight.

Up-and-comer 164 Bucky took the falls by storm last year, doing everything he could to climb to the top of the dominance hierarchy at the age of 8. He took on bears more than twice his age and often succeeded at displacing them. You can tell from this pic how jacked he is. He's one to watch! #katmai

A chubby subadult brown bear on a sand spit, with tall grass behind him. He has a cute pointy nose and is big for a two year old.

My favorite subadult, the chonky 806M aka Donk/Donkey. He is so cute, playful, and friendly. I really hope he sticks around Brooks, but male subadults often disperse from their mother's range so who knows. Either way, watching him thrive last year was a gift. #katmai

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A brown bear in profile, sitting in a rushing river.

Oh-so-handsome 83 Wayne Brother. He always arrives in the summer a bit scraggly, but his coat fills in come fall and he looks beautiful and velvety. #katmai

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Two brown bears stand nose to nose at the fork in a dirt road. The bear on the left is twice the size of the bear on the right. They're both adults, just at the opposite ends of the bell curve.

A few moments later, the female 610 is on her hind legs, about to bop 503 on the head with her front paws.

Okay, Valentine's Day bear post. A highlight of the early season (late June/early July) is bear dates while the females are in estrus! Here's a fun one: 503 (the big male) plays with his date 610, who is half his size. He was so gentle but playful with her and she loved it! What a charmer. #katmai