Onlookers watched in horror on Monday as a male bear killed a female bear at Katmai National Park & Preserve in Alaska.
Cameras set up in the park live streaming the bears on Brooks River captured the incident.
Bear 402, who was killed by bear 469, had been beloved by the Park community and had mothered over 8 litters of cubs, "more than any other bear currently at Brooks River" according to National Parks Service.
"Whatever caused this initially stimulated a predatory or continuing predatory reaction by 469," said Naomi Boak who works at Katmai Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Katmai National Park. "So she fought, she fought and continued to fight."
This occurred just days ahead of the Park's annual Fat Bear Week, in which members of the public are invited to vote for the bear they believe best exemplifies "fatness and success in brown bears." 402's inclusion on the bracket for the celebratory week meant that the park was forced to delay Fat Bear Week following her death.
"National parks like Katmai protect not only the wonders of nature, but also the harsh realities," said Matt Johnson, a park spokesperson. "Each bear seen on the webcams is competing with others to survive."
In a video posted to YouTube, Mike Fitz, the resident naturalist with webcam company Explore.org, discusses the incident alongside two other Katmai Park experts.
"On 9.30.2024 we saw a fight that resulted in the death of another bear on our Kats River view camera. This is a difficult situation to witness," reads the description of the video. "We love to celebrate the success of bears with full stomachs and ample body fat, but the ferocity of bears is real. The risks they face are real. Their lives can be hard and their deaths can be painful."
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