Rare black bear sighting charms county – Wilmington News Journal

The Clinton County History Center embraces the bear craze with a sign reading, “History’s wild—just ask the bear,” joining in on the viral social media trend following a rare black bear sighting in Wilmington.
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The Wilmington Police Department joins the fun by photoshopping the black bear into a patrol car, adding humor to the community’s response to the rare sighting.
Shelby Boatman, executive director of the Clinton County History Center, is interviewed Thursday, June 19, 2025, for a Local 12 (WKRC-TV) segment on the recent black bear sightings in Clinton County.
Shelby Boatman, executive director of the Clinton County History Center, is interviewed Thursday, June 19, 2025, for a Local 12 (WKRC-TV) segment on the recent black bear sightings in Clinton County.
WILMINGTON, Ohio — A rare black bear sighting in Clinton County has captured local attention and made headlines across the region, featured Thursday evening on Local 12 News.
The story highlighted the community’s lighthearted response to the unexpected visitor, which was first spotted earlier this week. Kelsie Wasson, a Wilmington resident, told Local 12 she encountered the bear after leaving work on Tuesday and initially mistook it for a dog.
“It was just kind of sniffing the ground, and then it kind of took off, and then it would stop again,” Wasson told Local 12. Her video of the bear quickly spread online, sparking a wave of memes and photoshopped images.
Members of the Wilmington Police Department also joined the fun, digitally placing the bear inside a patrol car.
“It helps us in an aspect of just the community seeing us as more than cops—we’re people out there,” Interim Police Chief William Foster said. “It normalizes us as people and gives us an opportunity to have fun with the community, rather than seeing them on their worst day.”
Shelby Boatman, executive director of the Clinton County History Center, told Local 12 that while bear sightings are rare, they’ve occurred before.
“In ’09 and ’04 we had bear sightings in Clinton County, which is pretty rare,” she said. “But being able to rally around this bear as sort of a mascot has been pretty fun.”
The History Center embraced the trend by posting a sign outside that reads, “History’s wild—just ask the bear.” Boatman added that she hopes the attention helps shine a spotlight on the importance of supporting small businesses.
“We’re a small community, and shopping locally is crucial,” she told Local 12.
Though the bear’s origin remains unknown, black bears are considered endangered in Ohio due to overhunting and habitat loss. The population has slowly rebounded since the 1990s, and sightings have become more common—especially during breeding season.
Lindsey Krusling with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources told Local 12 that residents should stay calm if they encounter a bear.
“You can slowly start to back away,” she said. “If the bear does start to approach you, we always suggest waving your hands, making yourself look taller, and being really loud—clapping, yelling—that tends to scare them off.”
Sightings can be reported on the ODNR website.
As for Wilmington, the bear has become a bit of a celebrity and a surprising source of community spirit.
“I think it’s pretty cool that we’re all kind of joking around about it and not being super serious, scared, or upset,” Wasson told Local 12.

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