Humor can be calming in times of crisis. That’s why wildlife enthusiasts are hoping the impending federal government shutdown won’t mean the end of the National Park Service’s social media phenomenon known as Fat Bear Week.
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be affected as “non-essential” actions are expected to cease on Sunday if Congress, paralyzed by a minority of far-right Republicans, cannot reach a deal to fund the government.
Besides widespread holidays and disruptions to some services, another potential casualty is the tournament that puts the largest brown bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park to online voting, scheduled to begin October 4.
Launched in 2014, the event allows bear fans to vote for which rotund bear did the best job filling in for winter hibernation. There’s even online support, a la March Madness, as well as a “Bearcam,” live chats with National Park Service staff, and commentary on bear and salmon activity.
But all of this depends on Congress being able to send a spending bill to President Biden before midnight Sunday. Otherwise, millions of Americans could face disruptions in food assistance programs, and agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration will be forced to furlough their workers, which will affect routine food inspections and visits to chemical and water treatment plants.
The vast majority of national parks will be closed to the public and the park service’s websites and social media accounts will remain inactive.
“The bears will continue to get bigger. We will not be able to report on their progress in this regard. All of our websites will be unavailable during any downtime and this is another unfortunate consequence of the shutdown,” a senior administration official said. told CNN. “Bears are essential. Unfortunately, the people who monitor the site are not exempt from credits.
Fans lit up the comments section on the Fat Bear Week website, with some strategizing about their favorites and others just raving about the annual event, which attracted more than a million votes from all over the world last year.
“It’s my favorite holiday,” one wrote.
“Is there an “I Voted” sticker for this year? I can’t find it,” said another.
A teacher from Texas wrote that her class wanted to vote in the Fat Bear Junior Bear Contest, but she wasn’t sure about the time difference and didn’t want her class to miss out on the opportunity.
“We are a third grade class in Texas and we have been following bears since we started school,” she said. “WE WANT TO VOTE!!!!”
Explore, the National Park Service’s partner company for live cams and fan voting, said that if a shutdown affects Fat Bear Week, it may postpone the tournament.
Keith Moore, Katmai National Park Senior Interpreting Ranger, told ABC News that there are “plans in place” if the government shuts down, but he did not elaborate.
“I think a lot of people would be disappointed” if a shutdown affected Fat Break Week, he said.
Other fun social media accounts that might go dark include the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which released a unhinged hip-hop track about wearing headphones when I ride a bike.