Two cats sit behind a newsroom desk as mock news anchors, one orange and fluffy and one black and sleek. A microphone, toy mouse, and paw‑printed papers rest on the desk, which displays the WMEO 9 logo. Behind them, a screen shows a bear catching a fish with the text “Fat Bear Week 2026,” creating a humorous animal‑themed news broadcast scene.

WMEO SPECIAL REPORT — FAT BEAR WEEK 2026

Live from the Nature Desk, This is WMEO 9 We Meow-You Listen

Banner : Taunton, we have breaking news. The votes are in, the salmon have been counted, and the people have spoken. Your 2026 Fat Bear Champion is… 89 BACKPACK.

A large brown bear sits on a rock beside a river, wearing a digitally added jeweled gold crown. Green grass and vegetation fill the background as the bear looks forward with a calm, regal expression.

Backpack accepts his crown

Balboa (field commentary):

“Backpack didn’t just eat salmon — he demolished salmon. He approached that river like it was an all‑you‑can‑eat buffet and he had coupons.”

Banner:

“WMEO has obtained exclusive images showing Backpack at the start of the season — lean, scrappy, optimistic — and Backpack now, a fully upholstered bear with deluxe padding.”

Side‑by‑side photos show Bear 89 Backpack in early summer versus late summer 2026. In the first image, he stands in a river looking lean and narrow. In the second, he sits on a rocky shore appearing much larger, rounder, and significantly heavier. Text reads “Same bear. A summer of change,” highlighting his dramatic seasonal transformation.

Balboa:

“Look at this transformation! Backpack started the season looking like he’d been living on river water and hope. And now? He’s a fully stuffed recliner with legs. That’s not weight gain — that’s art.”

Banner:

“And now, we go to our roving reporter, Pumpkin Spice, who is on location with the new champ.”

An orange and white cat wearing a black reporter hat with a PRESS card holds a WMEO‑branded microphone toward a large brown bear standing in a river. The cat is partially soaked from the rushing water while the bear looks down at the microphone. The scene is humorous and dramatic, resembling a news interview in the wild.

Pumpkin Spice:

“Backpack, you must be thrilled. You’re continuing a proud tradition started by your mother. How do you feel about establishing a dynasty?”

Backpack: Growl.

Balboa (off‑camera, losing it): “PUMPKIN SPICE, GET OUT OF THERE! You’re just the right size for dessert!”

Pumpkin Spice does not flinch. He is a professional.

Banner :

“And that growl confirms it — the dynasty is real. Backpack’s mother, 435 Holly, was the 2019 Fat Bear Champion. Backpack followed in 2026. And now,the crown returns to the family.”

Long live the champ. Long live the dynasty.

“This has been an exciting update from Katmai. Fat Bear Week has a new champion, and the dynasty continues. So until next year… Thanks for watching WMEO 9 — We Meow, You Listen.”

Billed as “Champion of the Decade”, the Morgan Stallion known as Treble’s Tanqueray is the Celebrity Horse waiting for me in the Youth Pavilion. And yes, he’s a horse, not a drink. Gin lovers will understand that observation. 🙂

To get there I had to pass back through the demo ring where a clinic was going on about tack. They had a mule that was being saddled up. Each step of the process was being described and pros and cons of each step outlined. The audience was spellbound. I guess if I was about to ride a mule down the Grand Canyon I might be as enthralled too.

I found the Mallory Building and way in the back was a quiet corner with a small ring. The floor was rubber padding, not dirt and a small group was gathering. The ring was empty so I guess I made it in time.

Treble’s Tanqueray is still competing even though he is an active Stud with a long line of offspring that are now competing themselves. At 15 year old he is in his prime.

Horses now routinely live into their late 20’s or even 30 years old when they have the right care.

I’ve always wondered how a horse could have a tail that dragged on the ground. You always see them like that in those wonderful portrait and here was a magnificent example of the long mane and tail.

According Tanqueray’s owners any horse can have a long , ground dragging tail. When Tanqueray is not in the show ring his tail is bound up . The most common reasons for a short tail are that the horse steps on it or it has frozen and the hairs have broken off.

Horses get their tails wet in their water pails in the stalls or when they are allowed outside in the snow, rain and cold. When that happens and the tail hairs freeze, the hair snaps off. Makes sense; so if you want your horse to have a long tail it needs to be bound up. The mane is braided to protect it so when it’s unbraided you get the lovely waves.