#775 Lefty

[bearotonin-international]

Awwww yeah he ready!!

Today’s bear is 775 Lefty. He’s an old-timer but when he sees fish jumping, he gets so excited that he does a wiggle. Every time. I love him so much. [ID: a large brown bear with a scar on his hip stands at the edge of a waterfall, wiggling his whole body as he peers over the edge.]

[katmaibearfan]

I'm trying to convince my mother (a fourth grade teacher) to use fat bear week in her classroom do you have any funny bear/cub stories that i can pass along to her to pass along to her students? thank u :)

Oh man, there's tons of stories! but before i get into that, the National Parks Service actually has a whole article dedicated to ways to integrate fat bear week into the classroom, with suggested grade levels and subjects! the article is organized by broad concept -- Ecosystem Health, Salmon, and Brown bears.

for stories, i cannot recommend the Memorable Moments in Bear Cam History Youtube Playlist enough. It's made by explore, and the videos are all about 3 and a half minutes long. Some videos (451's cub's death, 856's reign, 775 Lefty's Belly Flop, and Grazer is the worlds most defensive mother) are likely not what you're looking for, because they are sad or involve video footage of bear violence.

Specific recommendations, though note that there is footage of salmon being eaten, in case that would be upsetting for any of the kids:

503 Gets Adopted

909 & 910's Unique Relationship, and as a follow up video, Meet Bear 910

[casticutie]

It's clearly gonna be down to 435 Holly versus 775 Lefty and I honestly think Leftys gonna win this year

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

775 at Brooks Falls - Photo courtesy of L. Law by Katmai National Park and Preserve

[localstonerstripper]

435 Holly is the fat bear of my heart 😍

[waywardsheriff]

It's Fat Bear Week!!!!

@bluebracelet

♡♡♡♡

[vitosvital]

if you arent rooting for 775 Lefty, youre wrong.

[homosexuality]

honestly if youre not voting for 775 lefty fuck you

[iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog]

I’m Keeping Things In Perspective, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

Believe me, I’m not allowing myself to get too excited. Or at least I’m trying my hardest. After sweeping the Tigers to begin the season 3-0, there were reasons to be slightly more optimistic after what the offseason made me believe. This week took that a tiny step further. A two-game series against the Twins and a four-game series against the Reds isn’t any type of ultimate test, though the Twins are in first place and were a playoff team last year. You were only able to split the series with them but that’s acceptable even at home. The Cincinnati Reds are a team that’s basically been rebuilding since the 2013 Wildcard game, but more specifically over the last two years. Last season, they were in last place and finished 68-94. You played them nineteen times. You went 6-13 with them outscoring you 84-60. Honestly, I was surprised you won six. It felt like they beat you every time. This weekend you set the tone winning three out of four and blew a 4-0 lead in the game you lost. Not that blowing leads is something to hang your hat on, but they were mostly overmatched. That 14-3 thumping on Thursday got the series off to the right start. Your offense has been the driving force behind your 7-2 start. Your .814 team OPS ranks second in all of baseball. You’re averaging over six runs per game. Seven of the eight players in your everyday lineup have an OPS over .800. Three of them are over .900. The pitching talent you have faced so far has been less than stellar but last year you didn’t rip crappy pitching. So far, you have and I welcome the change.

This offense could be something special. Obviously, it’s hard to rely on any of the stats this early but the numbers currently speak for themselves. The biggest differences from last year so far (other than JHay and Mercer having an OPS over .800) is the newest additions, Colin Moran and Corey Dickerson. They have combined for 2 home runs and 15 RBI’s. Dickerson splits of .303/.324/.576 make for a .900 OPS. That .324 OBP is a little low but that slugging percentage more than makes up for it. He has a history of being a streaky player so there are sure to be slumps in the future. I love what I’m seeing especially adding another lefty power bat to the lineup. Moran is the same way. His splits of .345/.387/.517 make for a .904 OPS. If he keeps up at anything resembling this pace, he could make the Cole trade worth it and can make this lineup top tier. That’s if Gregory Polanco keeps playing like he’s been playing and can stay healthy. I have thought prior times that he could finally breakout but I have been disappointed when he hasn’t. This feels different. I still don’t trust his ability to stay healthy, but he looks like a different player. He already has 3 homers and his 13 RBI’s leads the league. His splits of .310/.447/.759 for a 1.206 OPS are video game like. He could change this entire team. If he keeps playing like this, he will be one of the best players in the league. We saw for a few years what that can do to a lineup. But for any of that to come to fruition, he needs to remain healthy. That could determine the outcome of your entire season.

With so much praise, I feel the need to be critical. I am a Pittsburgh Pirates’ fan after all. The pitching needs to improve in both facets. The starting pitching statistically has been strong. The starters’ ERA (3.14) ranks 4th in the majors, the batting average against (.225) is 7th, the WHIP (1.18) ranks 10th, and the OPS against (.637) is 6th. Those are all much better numbers than I expected going into the season. There is an issue that needs rectified. The starters so far have averaged pitching 5.74 innings per start and that number is only that high because of Jameson Taillon. The rest of the starters (Nova, Williams, Kuhl, and Brault in place of the injured Musgrove) have rarely went past five innings and that’s not sustainable especially with question marks in the bullpen. The relievers overall numbers are bad. The relievers WHIP, the most important stat for a reliever, is 1.56 which ranks 28th in the majors. Their batting average against (.252) is 28th and their OPS against (.775) is 26th. There have been positives like Edgar Santana (0.60 WHIP) who has solidified his role as fourth in line. Felipe Rivero, George Kontos, and Michael Feliz all have elevated WHIPs but that’s due to each of them having one bad outing. The rest of the time they have been terrific. The rest of the bullpen has not. Doyydas Neverauskas has been terrible like blowing a two-run lead on Saturday that led to the lone loss in the Reds’ series. Josh Smoker doesn’t appear to be someone who should be on a major league roster and Tyler Glasnow nor recently promoted Clay Holmes can be relied on in any high leverage situations. That’s why longer outings from the starters is so paramount. You can’t pitch the same four relievers every night. You need to find better options than Smoker or Neverauskas (Schugel or Siegrist?) or you will keep getting burned like you did Saturday. Something to consider.

I mentioned Jameson Taillon but I felt it was necessary to expand after his performance yesterday. Taillon pitched the game of his life and looked like a true ace. He threw a one-hit, complete game shutout in your 5-0 victory over the Reds. He walked two and struck out seven over 110 pitches. It was a masterful performance. Combine that with his first solid start in the home opener on Tuesday (5 1/3 IP 4 H 2 ER 0 BB 9 K) and he walks away as the National League Player of the Week. After two starts, he sports a 1.26 ERA and a 0.49 WHIP. Taillon is in the same category as Polanco. He looks different. He looks like he could be stepping into elite status this year, but only if he can stay healthy. The Polanco situation is even different because Adam Frazier isn’t a bad option to fill in during a DL stint. That’s not the case with Taillon. There is no reasonable replacement. He’s the unquestioned ace of this staff and he’s one of the few that can go at least seven innings on a regular basis.  For you to be successful, he needs to make it to thirty starts this season. I believe he’s capable. I also believe that now would be the time to try and sign him to a contract extension. With his injury issues and the fact that he’s not a Scott Boras client, it could be possible to get him at a realistic rate. If you wait until after this season and he ends up as one of the best starters in baseball, it might be too late. Something to consider.

Today was supposed to be the beginning of your series against the Cubs but snow showers, in April, cancelled it. Fortunately, because it’s their home opener, there was an off day scheduled tomorrow so it will be made up then. They also play them Wednesday and Thursday before travelling to Miami to face the last place, rebuilding Marlins. The Cubs are 5-4 and hold second place in the division. They are the odds-on pick to win the division and contend for the World Series. Jake Arrieta is gone but they retooled their rotation signing both Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood after trading for Jose Quintana last year.  They still have a quality lineup, so they are your tallest task in what should be a competitive division. Miami was expected to have the worst team this year after trading away their entire outfield for prospects. They are 3-6 and should be a team you beat down, even on the road. A 4-2 week would be terrific. I’m very interested to see how this offense does against pitching like the Cubs and to see how you generally stack up against that team. It’s still early but your performance in that series could show early signs of your true potential. I’m trying not to get ahead of myself but a good performance in that series could get me more excited. Just keep doing what you have been doing and this season could be more interesting than anticipated. Good luck and talk to you next week!

                                                                             Trying To Maintain Perspective,

                                                                                                  Brad

P.S. still stands for “Plugging Something” and I still need to work on that phrasing. Another friendly reminder that the radio play podcast I co-wrote with Chris Maxwell called DEATH AT SUNSET: HARD TIMES AND SOFT DRINKS is still available on Apple Podcasts (aka iTunes), Stitcher Radio, Google Play Radio, and SoundCloud. It’s four 20 minute (ish) episodes of a noir comedy that follows P.I. Jack Dime as he tackles cases in modern day Los Angeles. Please follow us @deathatsunset on Twitter, check out DeathatSunset.com, and please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. I truly appreciate anyone who takes time to read my letters and I would appreciate it even more if you check out this podcast we are very proud of. Thank you so much!!

[juniperjelly]

so due to my interest in both the banjo and more recently the bass guitar, i wanna get bassjo (bass guitar banjo combo), but all the ones i can find online cost over $1,000??? except for one i found on ebay, which cost $775, but it's a lefty bassjo, which is prolly why. why the hell instruments gotta be so expensive

[katmaibearfan]

for those who are wondering how i got to "about 30" for 469 Patches's age, heres a screenshot from the KNP&P brown bears FAQ (linked in my pinned post) that talks a bit about bear ages! Since 469 Patches was identified as an "adult" rather than a "younger adult or older subadult", we can assume he was at least 6 years old when he was first identified in 2001, which would make him at least 29 years old.

another elder bear we have seen this year is 477 Sara, who was also identified as an adult in 2001, and is therefore also at least 29.

elder bears who have not yet been seen this year include 480 Otis and 435 Holly, both of whom would be about 27-28 years old, and 775 Lefty and 634 Popeye, both of whom would be about 26 years old.

469 Patches!!!! he was first identified as an adult bear in 2001, which makes him around 30 years old!

[mealha]

All hail Holly, the queen of Fat Bear Week

Holly the brown bear channeling her best, bulky self. She beat out this year’s other finalist, Lefty, by nearly 13,000 votes. (Katmai National Park/)

More than 2,000 bears call Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve home, where they spent this past summer bulking up to prepare for a long winter of hibernation. In honor of their hard work each year, Katmai rangers put the 12 chubbiest ursids to a vote during Fat Bear Week. The newest chunky champion is bear 435, Holly—one of the most famous mammals to feast on Brooks River's salmon run.

With her furry blonde ears and toasted-marshmallow coat, Holly has amassed a cult following. Tales of her devotion as a mother spread wide and far after she successfully reared her injured offspring to adulthood. She then went on to adopt an abandoned cub in 2015—a behavior rarely seen among brown bears.

Holly before the summer gorging session (left) and after. (Katmai National Park/)

Now, Holly is back in the public eye, this time for her impressive transformation before Fat Bear Week. The contest, which first launched in 2015 and runs through early October, is like a condensed version of March Madness for the wildlife crowd; it lets the public throw their weight behind their favorite bear, and helps to promote the National Park Service's conservation efforts. The competitors are all coastal brown bears (a different subspecies from their inland grizzly kin) and include males, females, and sub-adults—the young 'uns of the ursid world.

To qualify for the bracket, the bears must spend all summer eating fresh-caught salmon under the mountains. This, of course, is a natural part of their life cycle: Come fall, a hormone meant to regulate hunger in their bodies switches off, pushing the animals into a state known as hyperphagia, when they eat up to 60,000 calories a day. Any weight they put on is shed quickly—bears can lose 20 to 40 percent of their body mass during hibernation.

Fat rolls aside, the campaign educates voters by sharing the backstory of each four-legged predator with live bear cams and ranger notes. Repeat qualifiers often end up with monikers, as was the case with this year's finalists: the famed Holly and her opponent, Bear 775 Lefty. Named after his tiny left ear, the male adult is distinguished by his even brown coat and the prominent scar located near his right hip.

While many hope to see the two champs again in next year's competition, nothing is guaranteed. Beadnose, the victor of Fat Bear 2018, for example, hasn't been spotted on the park's cams all season. Rangers say there could be a few explanations for the heavyweight's disappearance: At two-plus decades, she could have passed away from old age or succumbed to a wilderness-induced injury. Or, on a cheerier note, she could be fishing for salmon on another reservation, waiting for all the hype from Fat Bear Week to blow over.

from Popular Photography | RSS https://ift.tt/2M6fEtb

[kamchatkasalmon]

Stuffing Themselves on Sockeye Salmon

October 10, 2019 (Tokyo, Japan) - These bears are stuffing themselves on sockeye salmon while bears in other areas are emaciated because the salmon have been reduced to such low numbers they aren’t plentiful on their return up the tributaries and rivers.

Grizzly experts want research into emaciated bears photographed on B.C. coast

________

Source: NPR

Stuffed With Sockeye Salmon, 'Holly' Wins 'Fat Bear Week' Heavyweight Title

October 9, 2019 | TOM GOLDMAN

Bear 435, aka "Holly," before and after her prehibernation weigh-in. Holly went on to win the final round in Fat Bear Week 2019. Katmai National Park & Preserve

Fat Bear Week 2019 officially ended Tuesday night. And the winner is ...

No. 435, or if you prefer a name, Holly.

Fat Bear Week has been an annual event for the past five years in Katmai National Park and Preserve in southwestern Alaska. The idea is to publicize and celebrate the process of bears eating as much as they can to build up crucial fat reserves in advance of winter hibernation.

Park rangers made a game out of the process — a March Madness-style bracket matching bear against bear, each with photos proving girth and inviting the public to vote on the fattest bear in each pair.

ANIMALS

It's Fat Bear Week In Alaska's Katmai National Park — Time To Fill Out Your Bracket

The winners move on to the next round; the losers are out.

This year's championship round pitted Holly against No. 775, Lefty.

And in the end, it was no contest.

After 12 hours of online voting, Holly had about 17,500 votes, while Lefty had about 3,600.

Please go to NPR to read the entire article.

[fugghut]

435 HOLLY IS IN THE FINALS AGAINST NEWCOMER 775 LEFTY

THIS IS NOT A DRILL

my two votes for fat bear

bear 747

underdog. getting up there in age, almost 20 years old, and losing his teeth. might be a bit stiff and harder to eat (less fat) but i love him the most. also apparently the biggest bear, but big doesnt mean fattest

435 holly

just an absolute fucking monster holy shit. look at her. chunktown supreme

[legalizegoblins]

Today’s bear is 775 Lefty. He’s an old-timer but when he sees fish jumping, he gets so excited that he does a wiggle. Every time. I love him so much. [ID: a large brown bear with a scar on his hip stands at the edge of a waterfall, wiggling his whole body as he peers over the edge.]