March Napness Recap
The Nap Recap to catch you up on the sleepy action from years past
This March marks the start of our third annual March Napness Competition--a bracket style tournament based on the NCAA's March Madness--where, instead of tracking basketball wins and losses--we track which rescued bears hibernate the longest at our bear sanctuaries around the world.
The last two years of competition have brought many bracket-busting surprises and nail biting championship sleeps. We've got all the exciting details in the Nap Recap below!
The Nap Recap
2023: The first year of competition
In the beginning, everyone slept peacefully
The inaugural year of March Napness started with 22 bears competing for 6 bear sanctuaries. Hopes were high as all the bears slept soundly through the winter in their cozy dens.
Week 1, Bear Erich is an Early Riser
Bear Erich from BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach was our earliest riser of 2023, making him the first bear to be eliminated from the competition. (However, he was also the first bear to enjoy some yummy snacks and time in the sunshine, so maybe Erich won at his own game).
Several of the bears from the other 5 sanctuaries made brief appearances outside their dens, but ultimately decided to go back to sleep (Marinka, Luna, Michal, Stivi, Andri, and the bears at Arosa and Domazhyr).
Week 2, Four Bears Awaken
Week 2 was quite a popular week to awaken in 2023 with four bears ending their hibernation:
Suzana from BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa, Sam from Arosa Bear Sanctuary, and both Vova and Kvitka from BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr.
Week 3, Luna is a Bracket Buster
Week 3 brought the competition's biggest surprise, with notorious long sleeper, Luna from BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz, awakening on March 21. Partners Sylvia & Pavle and Bear Michal also awakened at Müritz in week 3, making Mascha Team Müritz's 2023 champion.
Several other sanctuaries crowned their champions this week as well: Potap from BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr entered the semifinals when fellow Domazhyr competitors Sirko & Ruta awakened. And Svetla, who is also competing in the 2025 competition, slept longer than any other bear at BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa when Bobby and Marinka called it quits.
Elsewhere, Oska awakend at BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina, as did Jamila at Arosa Bear Sanctuary, setting up partners Amelia & Meimo in a (sleepy)head to head showdown for the semifinals.
Week 4, Fan Favorite Potap Awakens
The last week of March brought more surprises as fan favorite Potap awoke on March 28. Although this meant that BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr had no more bears in the competition, on the bright side, fans could now enjoy Potap's springtime antics in person and online!
Stivi, another fan favorite from BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina, also awoke in week 4. Six bears representing four sanctuaries still remained in the competition as the month of March came to a close.
Week 5, The Final Four
The first week of April gave us our Final Four Sleeping Champions! Ari, Mascha, Amelia & Meimo slept their way to this competition milestone, while bears Svetla from BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa and Andri from BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina decided it was time to rise and shine.
Week 6, The Final Two Contenders
After 6 sleepy weeks, we had our March Napness Finalists! Mascha from BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz and Ari from BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina slept their way to the championship round!
Even though partners Amelia & Meimo didn't make it to the March Napness finals, they still held the Swiss co-champion title from Arosa Bear Sanctuary.
Week 7, The Big Snooze Continues
Both finalists, Ari and Mascha remained asleep during week 7, and anticipation built as the championship snoozing match stretched on!
Week 8, Mascha is Crowned Champion
Mascha from BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz officially won the first ever March Napness competition, valiantly out-sleeping our runner up, bear Ari from BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina.
2024: The second year of competition
23 Bears Compete for the Sleepy Crown
In 2024, 23 bears from 6 of our sanctuaries competed for the championship. Defending champion, Mascha, took a year off from competition, leaving the field wide open for a new champ.
Week 1: The Arbesbach Awakenings
For the second year in a row, bear Erich awoke in week 1 of the competition, and this time he was joined by fellow BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach resident, Brumca. This gave hibernation rookie, Mark, an early victory as sleepiest bear at our Austrian sanctuary.
Week 2: Rookie Mark Calls it Quits
Rescued just one year prior, bear Mark had never lived in an environment that enabled him to hibernate until he was brought to his forever home at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach. Now with the proper conditions around him, Mark was able to enjoy his first winter slumber. Though he only made it to week 2, Mark's first hibernation won fans across the globe, and he was even featured in on People.com!
Week 3: An Action-Packed Week of Awakenings
A lot of action took place in week 3 of the tournament, with 5 bears ending their winter slumber: Marinka and Dana from BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa in Bulgaria, as well as bear Sylvia and sisters Dasha & Lelya from BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz.
Meanwhile, the rest of our competing bears slept their way into the next round.
Week 4: Bracket Busters from Arosa
Week 4 brought a big surprise, as last year's co-semifinalists, partners Amelia & Meimo from Arosa Bear Sanctuary awoke much earlier than they had the previous season. Michal from BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz and Ema from BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina also decided they'd had enough rest and left the competition in the last week of March. Bears from five sanctuaries still continued to compete for the sleepy crown.
Week 5: The Prishtina Pact
The beginning of April brought another surprise, in an act of sleepy solidarity, all 3 remaining bears from BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina decided to call it quits. Along with Hana and Ero, this included bear Ari, the runner up from our 2023 competition.
Bear Svetla also awakened in week 5, making her companion Jeta the Bulgarian champion at BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa.
Week 6: The Final Four
The Final Four competitors snoozed their way to the semifinals in week 6 of the sleepfest! Sam & Jamila from Arosa Bear Sanctuary joined Tyson from BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr and Dushi from BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz.
After catching some impressive zzz's in the quarter finals, Laska and Masha from BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr and Jeta from BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa decided they'd had enough rest.
Week 7: A Real Claw-biter at the Finish Line
The final week of competition was a real photo finish, as all final four bears awoke within a few days of one another. Tyson from BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr and Sam & Jamila from Arosa Bear Sanctuary showed amazing sleepy perseverance, but bear Dushi from BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz outslept them all by just a couple of days to claim the 2024 championship!
Addendum to 2024: Saying Goodbye to Dushi
In a sad turn of events, we had to say goodbye to our 2024 champion, Dushi. "Every colleague has wonderful memories of Dushi as a very special bear with a very special fate. We were able to give Dushi five wonderful years in our sanctuary. That is a comforting feeling," said Petra Konermann, press officer at BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz.
Our team had been planning a special meal for the March Napness winners along with plant-based Chef Priyanka Naik. And though Dushi sadly passed before the celebration, her teammates at Müritz were able to enjoy the special meal.
Dushi was very beloved by our staff and the public, and though she is gone, she will always be remembered in our history and our hearts.
A Preview of the 2025 Tournament
The 3rd Annual March Napness competition will kick off on March 4, but you can make your predictions and fill in your bracket now! Who are the ones to watch in 2025?
Ida from BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz in Germany
BEAR SANCTUARY Müritz
For two years running, BEAR SANCUTARY Müritz has taken home the crown, but will the German team bring home the championship once again? Year one champ, Mascha is returning to the competition, and she may be hard to beat! Bear Michal is also returning for his third year of the competition, and he is joined by newcomers Ida and Rocco.
Amelia & Meimo playing in the snow at Arosa Bear Sanctuary in Switzerland
Arosa Bear Sanctuary
Anyone could take the crown at our Swiss sanctuary, as last year siblings Sam & Jamila made it to the finals and the previous year, partners Amelia & Meimo slept their way into the semi-finals. You can catch a glimpse of all the sleepy action on Arosa's webcams.
Jeta resting at BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa in Bulgaria
BEAR SANCTUARY Belitsa
Our Bulgarian team features both our youngest and oldest competitors, with 8-year-old Iva and 34-year-old Svelta competing for the crown. Svetla has slept in the two previous years of competition, and her companion Jeta is sleeping in her second straight year of competition after winning the Bulgarian title last year. Bear Suzana rounds out the team at Belitsa.
Frankie near his pond at BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr in Ukraine
BEAR SANCTUARY Domazhyr
Joining Tyson, who not only slept the longest at our Ukrainian sanctuary, but also made it to the finals in 2023, are a set of new faces, including Frankie, Julia, and Masha (not be confused with Mascha from Müritz!). The resilient team from Domazhyr always makes the competition interesting!
Bear Brumca sleeps peacefully at BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach in Austria
BEAR SANCTUARY Arbesbach
Our Austrian team features returning favorites Erich, Brumca, and Mark. Erich has woken up in week 1 in both previous years of the competition--perhaps winning at his own version of the game. Both Brumca and Mark were early risers in 2024 as well, but maybe they will surprise everyone in 2025 and be this year's Cinderella story.
Hana resting amongst the flowers at BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina in Kosovo
BEAR SANCTUARY Prishtina
Pristina is a real wildcard in the competition, sending one bear to the finals in 2023 and all the bears waking up in unison in 2024. You never know what our team from Kosovo is going to bring to the table! This year returning sleeper Hana joins a new set of teammates: Mira, Tomi, and Mal.
Who will be the 2025 March Napness Champion? Fill in your bracket now, and be sure to follow our social media channels for all the latest updates!