Every spring, the NCAA-style brackets and “March Madness” energy take over the internet, but since 2023, a much sleepier version has been stealing the spotlight. Four Paws USA teamed up with artist Billy Murphy, known online for his charmingly odd “Badly Drawn Bears,” to create March Napness, a bracket-style competition that follows rescued bears living in six European sanctuaries and asks one delightfully simple question: which bear will hibernate the longest?
Supporters can fill out their own brackets and follow along as the bears gradually wake up, but the campaign is about more than picking a champion. Four Paws uses March Napness to spotlight hibernation as an important natural behavior, while also showing what real recovery can look like for bears rescued from tourist attractions, private ownership, rundown zoos, circuses, and other inappropriate conditions. When a rescued bear is finally able to rest properly, it’s a sign that the animal feels safe, healthy, and secure enough to follow its instincts again.
#1 Hope
Hope of Bear Sanctuary Prishtina arrives with perhaps the strongest nickname of the entire lineup: “Yoga Bear.” Brave, smart, and fearless, she’s known for stretching herself into wonderfully odd positions that earned her that title with her caretakers. She shares her enclosure with Tomi, and the two love spending time together, especially when swimming or playing in the pool. Billy Murphy called her 2026’s Rookie of the Year, and she definitely sounds like a contestant with star quality.
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16points
March Napness helps raise awareness of the ongoing work at the Arosa Bear Sanctuary in Switzerland, Bear Sanctuary Prishtina in Kosovo, Bear Sanctuary Müritz in Germany, Bear Sanctuary Belitsa in Bulgaria, Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr in Ukraine, and Bear Sanctuary Arbesbach in Austria, where rescued bears receive expert care and species-appropriate environments. The campaign also encourages people to directly support that work: visitors can take part in the bracket challenge, follow updates throughout the month, and donate to help care for the rescued bears and support the sanctuaries directly.
#2 Marinka
Marinka, a resident of Bear Sanctuary Belitsa in Bulgaria, may be one of the smallest bears in the lineup, but she’s also one of the sharpest. Known for her intelligence and dexterity, she has a reputation for figuring things out and making the most of the enrichments her caretakers prepare. Before hibernation, she can nearly double her weight compared to spring, which feels like a very serious commitment to seasonal strategy. Small, smart, and apparently efficient, that’s a dangerous combination in any competition.
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12points
#3 Misha
If March Napness were judged on enthusiasm alone, Misha might already have the trophy. This resident of Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr in Ukraine is famous for loving sleep, loving more sleep, and then somehow loving it even more. A very calm bear who shares his space with fellow competitor Laska, Misha is also a fan of apples and grapes, but even those probably rank below a really good nap. His caretakers seem to think he has serious winner potential, and honestly, it’s hard to argue with that résumé.
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12points
Billy Murphy is an especially fitting collaborator for a project like this. The Essex-based contemporary artist uses bears, dinosaurs, rainbows, and other playful imagery to explore the absurdity and silliness of life, often combining simple visuals with dry humor and a strangely heartfelt sense of truth. His “Badly Drawn Bears” have found a large audience precisely because they feel both deliberately scruffy and unexpectedly expressive. For March Napness, that style works perfectly: Murphy takes real rescued bears with distinct personalities, habits, and rescue stories and turns them into funny, affectionate portraits that make them even more memorable. The result is a project that feels light and entertaining on the surface, but also quietly powerful underneath, because every sleepy “competitor” in this bracket is a bear who now has something many captive animals are denied: peace, safety, and the freedom to finally rest.
#4 Erich
Erich from Bear Sanctuary Arbesbach in Austria is, physically speaking, a very impressive bear. Weighing roughly 275 to 300 kilograms, he’s the biggest bear in the sanctuary. Emotionally, however, he is apparently a delicate soul. Loud noises, helicopters, construction workers, flies, and sometimes seemingly nothing at all can send him running. Large but polite, Erich has the energy of a gentle giant who could absolutely dominate on size alone, but would prefer everybody keep it down a bit.
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11points
#5 Mima
Mima of Bear Sanctuary Belitsa in Bulgaria clearly believes in getting an early start, at least when it comes to hibernation. She was the first bear at the sanctuary to fall asleep this season, proving she takes rest very seriously. Once one of the last “dancing” bears in Bulgaria, Mima has since recovered into a much happier life, and she now spends it alongside her inseparable companion Monty. She may be sleepy, but she’s also one half of one of the sanctuary’s best duos.
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11points
#6 Potap
Potap, from Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr in Ukraine, is described as positive, friendly, playful, and extremely enthusiastic about food. He enjoys swimming, solving enrichments, and eating fruit like melon and oranges, but fish is where things get serious. Billy Murphy introduced him as a bear waking up to fulfill his duty of being “full of fish,” which honestly feels like a very strong personal brand. Potap also lives with 2026 March Napness champ Masha, so perhaps some championship sleep habits have rubbed off on him.
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11points
#7 Brumca
Brumca of Bear Sanctuary Arbesbach in Austria is known as “The Queen,” and it’s not hard to see why. She has standards. If her food is cut, placed incorrectly, or simply not up to her expectations, she may reject it entirely. Shy and playful underneath the diva energy, Brumca is one of the sanctuary’s most memorable characters, and the nickname fits perfectly. Some bears are easygoing. Brumca would like things done properly.
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10points
#8 Tomi
Tomi of Bear Sanctuary Prishtina in Kosovo is a gentle bear with a soft spot for swimming, pool time, and, above all else, his partner Hope. The two do everything together, which has made them one of the sanctuary’s sweetest pairs. Four Paws notes that they especially enjoy spending time in the water, while Billy Murphy summed Tomi up in the most relatable way possible: he’s basically lost without her. He was also a finalist in the 2025 competition.
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10points
#9 Lelya
Lelya of Bear Sanctuary Müritz in Germany was rescued from Ukraine along with her sister Dasha in 2019, and she has since established herself as the more dominant of the two, most of the time, anyway. In unfamiliar situations, she’s apparently happy to let Dasha lead the way, which gives her just enough humility to stay likable. Last year the sisters hibernated together, but this time they chose separate dens, proving that even close siblings sometimes want a little space during nap season.
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10points
#10 Michal
Michal, from Bear Sanctuary Müritz in Germany, is a reminder that resilience can come in very furry form. Even though he’s missing a foreleg, that hasn’t stopped him from thriving in sanctuary life. Calm, gentle, and full of character, Michal loves swimming, digging holes, and playing with sticks, branches, and whatever else catches his attention. By all accounts, he has refused to let anything get in the way of enjoying his second chance.
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10points
#11 Svetla
Svetla of Bear Sanctuary Belitsa in Bulgaria is the sanctuary’s oldest bear, and she has absolutely earned the right to take it easy. At 36 years old, she has outlived the typical lifespan of a wild bear by a considerable margin, making her long naps feel less like laziness and more like a well-deserved luxury. She’s known for her love of relaxation, and in a competition centered on sleep, that makes her feel less like an underdog and more like seasoned royalty.
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10points
#13 Melanka
Melanka, from Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr in Ukraine, is the kind of bear who manages to feel elegant and adventurous at the same time. Calm and playful, she’s especially close with fellow rescue Leo, and the two love spending time together, particularly when there’s swimming involved. When she’s not enjoying the water, Melanka can usually be found exploring, snacking on favorites like green leaves, raspberry branches, and acorns, or simply carrying herself like the sophisticated lady she is.
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9points
#14 Rocco
Rocco is one of the younger bears in the group, and sanctuary life in Bear Sanctuary Müritz in Germany has given him the chance to discover all sorts of things for the very first time. Swimming, toys, snow, tree trunks, forest exploration; Rocco seems to approach the world with the kind of curiosity that makes him instantly easy to root for. He first hibernated in 2022, which makes him relatively new to the competitive side of bear sleeping, but he’s already making up for lost time.
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9points
#15 Sylvia
Sylvia, from Bear Sanctuary Müritz in Germany, has an old injury that left her with a deformed paw, but you wouldn’t know it from the way she lives. She runs, plays, and swims without much fuss, and she’s especially fond of digging out her own hibernation dens. In recent years she’s sometimes opted for the bear house instead, alongside her brother Pavle, but either way, Sylvia has made it clear that she’s fully in charge of how she wants to spend winter.
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9points