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It’s rigged! National Park’s Fat Bear Week is rocked by cheating claims after trolls spam online poll with more than 7,000 fake votes – as Alaska is set to crown its chunkiest animal ahead of hibernation season
- Bear 747 was dubbed the winner in the semi-finals bracket for the 2022 Fat Bear Week contest after organizers found more than 7,000 fake votes for his rival
- The bear, weighing in at around 1,400 pounds, earned 37,940 real votes, beating out opponent Holly, who only had 30,430
- Bear 747, one of the dominant bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park who won the competition in 2020, will go on to the finals
- Many on Twitter were quick to poke fun at the cheating scandal, comparing it to the spectacle following the 2020 presidential election
The Fat Bear Week competition was hit with cheating claims after organizers found thousands of fake votes for Sunday’s winner.
The Katmai National Park, which hosts a bracket-style contest for bears pictured at the Alaskan park, overturned the election results between Bear 747 and his opponent, Holly.
After removing more than 7,000 fraudulent votes, Bear 747 won with 37,940 votes against Holly’s 30,430.
‘Stopped by TSA for smuggling salmon, [Holly] missed her connection while jumbo jet 747 cleared the runway,’ the park tweeted. ‘This capacious cargo carrier cruised to the finals with a triumphant tailwind.’
Bear 747 was dubbed the real winner in the semi-final bracket of the 2022 Fat Bear Week contest after organizers found more than 7,000 fake votes for his opponent
Holly (above), the winner of the 2019 Fat Bear Week contest, earned only 30,430 real votes, while 747 got 37,940 votes
Many on Twitter were heartbroken by Holly’s loss, who was the 2019 Fat Bear Week champion, but couldn’t help themselves to compare the election with that of the 2020 presidential election.
Referencing the January 6 riots fueled by unfounded claims that the presidential race was stolen, Twitter user Liz St Clair wrote: ‘NOOOOoooooo I was so happy when I saw Holly was leading. I feel like storming the national parks on Jan 6th.’
Another Twitter user with the handle HottenAnnie joined in on the joke, tweeting: ‘Careful. We don’t want people violently storming the park.
Others tweeted, ‘STOP THE STEAL,’ and ‘STOP THE COUNT,’ the mantra former President Donald Trump touted in his loss against Joe Biden.
Bear 747 moves onto the semi-final round of the annual competition hosted by the Katmai National Park. His opponent will be decided after Monday night’s votes are tallied up
Many took to Twitter to poke fun at the cheating scandal, comparing it to the contentious 2020 presidential election
With his newfound victory, Bear 747 will be in the finals and face off against the winner of Monday’s election.
The bear, estimated to weigh around 1,400 pounds, was found fishing everyday at Brooks Falls between late June and mid-September as he prepared for hibernation.
Rangers of the national park noted that 747 was one of the dominant bears in the forest, and while bears tend to fight to assert their place, they said the 747 keeps his rank ‘by sheer size alone.’
The bear was previously the winner of the 2020 Fat Bear Week competition.
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