#me sending the fbw link to everyone i know today yelling VOTE FOR GRAZER

[beartoebeans]

Why should I vote 128 GRAZER in Fat Bear Week 2022?

So glad you asked!

She's a giant, firstly. An absolute balloon of a bear. Gaze upon her hibernation bod:

Truly worthy of the title. Compare to June of this year:

Grazer is second from the left; her cubs are to the right of her. They all look like different bears when looked at next to their fall selves. They've worked their giant butts off to get to where they are. Incidentally, that's a screenshot from a clip titled "128 Catches Two Fish at Once". She is a phenomenally skilled fisherbear who's taught those skills to her cubs, so that they too can be successful adults someday.

Consider also that Grazer is the only mother bear in the bracket. While every other contestant has only had to fatten themselves up, Grazer has been nursing her giant 2.5-year-old cubs (transfer of fat from her to her cubs; it would be for any animal, but bear milk is especially high in fat), allowing her cubs to share her fish (again losing out on fat in order to fatten her cubs), and defending her family in true Grazer style (burning calories, and thus fat). Her cubs have begun to catch their own fish after watching such a skilled mother, which has lessened her burden, but the fact remains that Grazer has been fattening up two other bears in addition to herself this year. And oh, boy, are they fat:

Family naptime, with one of her cubs standing up on the left. They both look like Grazer if you put her through a low-powered shrinkray.

To sum up, Grazer has achieved peak fall bear bod, as good as anyone else's on the bracket (look at her, y'all. what a round bear), while giving away a lot of fat to her family. She has therefore gathered more fat than anyone.

If that's not enough for you, maybe her personality will win you over. She is the fiercest and most defensive mother bear on the entire river. Check out this video: here. Mike Fitz, a former ranger still involved with bearcam (a livestream where the FBW bears can be seen during the summer), chose memorable moments to highlight for the 10th anniversary of bearcam. He seems to have thought, "Really, Grazer's entire personality is a memorable moment." And, honestly? Accurate.

Personally I will never forget that time 747, most dominant bear at the time, snuck up on another male bear in her vicinity and she charged in to shut the whole thing down. After yelling at the other bear, all she had to do was glare at 747 and take a few pointed steps in his direction, and he slunk off, intimidated. (She got involved because bears fighting in the area is dangerous for cubs, since they can get caught in the crossfire and killed. If other bears have to be around cubs, the safest environment for them is a peaceful one.) Video link!

Or the time she went for 856, an absolute giant, also the dominant bear that year and known to bears and humans alike for his bad temper:

Look at her, she's like half his size. She doesn't give a shit. All to make sure her nearby cubs were safe.

She has a similar attitude when it comes to gaining access to fishing spots for herself and her cubs. She doesn't go straight to charging in and roaring, but she will approach anyone in her spot and make it known that she wants it, and whoever is there had better make way so her cubs can eat. She's made her reputation this way, and other bears often just go ahead and leave whenever she shows up to fish. She and her cubs grow into giant blimps every year off this tactic.

The top of the dominance hierarchy is typically full of male bears, but there are a few female bears that can achieve situational dominance. When Grazer has cubs, she and her family are right at the top. (Although she is smart, too, and knows when it's probably not worth it, which is what makes her dominance only situational.)

When there's no danger and no competition, however, she and her family can be very sweet. Here are some videos: 1, 2

Also, if this matters, 151 Walker, her competition in her first round, is scared to death of her.

So remember: Vote 128 Grazer for Fat Bear Week champion 2022! The queen deserves her crown.