GoPro Video Captures Spear Hunter’s Twisted Reaction to Killing a Black Bear
Government officials in Alberta, Canada, said that hunting regulations will be updated after a video of a man hunting a black bear with a spear sparked widespread outrage among nonhunters and hunters alike. Ohio resident Josh Bowmar can be seen gleefully laughing and celebrating the death of a bear he impaled with the weapon, which had a GoPro camera fastened to it, in a video uploaded to YouTube earlier this year.
The bear killed by Bowmar was reportedly lured into range with a bait bucket, which is legal in Alberta. The strong response to the video, however, has led lawmakers to promise the introduction of a ban on spear-hunting.
There is nothing sporting about luring animals close with bait and then deriving sick pleasure from watching them bleed to death. Wild animals like this bear are beloved by their own mates and offspring, but to hunters like Bowmar, who seem to lack all empathy, compassion, and respect for living creatures, they are merely targets and trophies.
Remember, just because something is legal doesn’t make it right.
What You Can Do
While the Alberta government works to put a stop to the practice of spear hunting, there is more that you can do to stand up for animals targeted by big game hunters like Josh Bowmar. Join the thousands of people calling on UPS to help bears, elephants, rhinos, and other animals by ending its practice of shipping animals’ dead bodies as hunting trophies.
