This summer’s most discussed screen offering may not be Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. It’s the Brooks Falls bearcam, a live feed from Alaska’s Katmai National Park where brown bears gather to feast on sockeye salmon. Millions have tuned in.
The Brooks Falls bearcam at Katmai National Park in the United States was viewed 7.3 million times between June 22 and August 4. That marks a 70% increase from the same period last year and more than double the views it attracted in 2024.
Operated by the wildlife network Explore.org, the cameras show brown bears congregating at Brooks Falls to catch sockeye salmon as they migrate upstream. More than a dozen bears at a time can be spotted prowling the rocky waters and chomping on the fish.
Candice Rusch, Explore.org’s director of new media, said the rise in viewership appears to be driven by the bears returning to the falls in large numbers after a less concentrated season last year. “Last year was a really high salmon run, which meant there was salmon all over the river and the bears didn’t need to congregate at the falls the way they’re doing right now,” she said. “This year we’ve just had very good views of large congregations of bears.”
Rusch also noted that the bearcam has become easy background viewing for many. “It’s like the whole world discovered they could put bearcam on their TV at the same time,” she said. “Maybe people just have it on while they’re cooking dinner.”
The cameras were first installed in 2012 as part of an effort to bring remote wildlife into people’s homes. Rusch said the idea was that people were more likely to protect animals and landscapes they had come to know and care about.
Dr Jeffrey Skibins, an associate professor at East Carolina University, said recent studies support the value of such webcams. “Recent studies have shown that nature-based webcams are beneficial to both wildlife and people. They benefit wildlife by improving conservation attitudes, behaviours and awareness,” he said. “This is not to suggest they are replacements for getting out in nature, but rather serve as viable additions.”
The stream has developed a dedicated fanbase. Viewers can identify individual bears from features such as their ears, noses and body shape, and some keep detailed records of their feeding habits. One dedicated fan reported watching a bear called Otis eat 42 salmon over several hours, which Rusch said could equate to more than 100,000 calories.
The bears’ gorging will take on added significance next month, when Katmai’s annual Fat Bear Week begins in the autumn. The public votes in a knockout style competition to crown the park’s fattest bear, as the animals pile on winter weight in preparation for hibernation.
“The bears are great,” Rusch said. “This is an amazing place and it deserves all the love it’s getting.”
