'BooBoo' Bear, A South Shore Internet Sensation, Found Dead

PLYMOUTH, MA — The black bear, who has been seen wandering across many south shore towns, has been found dead, wildlife officials announced Thursday.

The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife says BooBoo died after getting hit by a medical transport vehicle in Marion on June 24.

Multiple towns across the south shore had reported bear sightings over the last few months, with sightings more recently reported by Abington, Kingston, and Wareham indicating that the bear was moving south.

So many sightings of the bear had been reported that several south shore police departments decided to give the bear a name when they would issue the warnings to towns, telling residents to keep an eye out for "BooBoo."

The bear even had its own Facebook page.

MassWildlife crews searched the Route 195 area immediately after the collision, where witnesses say they saw him take off into the woods, but they were unsuccessful in locating the injured bear, until Tuesday, when biologists searched the area for a second time.

According to MassWildlife, about 30 to 40 bears are killed by vehicles every year in Massachusetts, and from June 2018 to July 1, 2020, there were 83 reports of bear and vehicle collisions.