WORLD’S SICKEST HUNTER
American fitness fanatic kills bear with 7ft spear — and films it to post on the internet
REVELLING in the kill, a hunter poses gleefully with the body of a bear he slaughtered with a spear, boasting: ‘I drilled him perfect.’
American Josh Bowmar sparked widespread revulsion after uploading shocking footage of the animal’s gory death on YouTube.
The 13-minute film on his channel includes scenes taken on a GoPro sports camera fitted to his 7ft spear as it pierces the black bear, which then runs off into the forest with a gaping wound left by the 5in-wide, 16in-long blade.
Bodybuilder Bowmar, 26, dances with joy and says: ‘He’s going down, I drilled him perfect… I just did something that I don’t think anybody in the world has ever done.’
A barrel can be seen near where the hunter, in camouflage clothing, waited for the bear at dusk before hurling the spear from around 12 yards away. Such barrels are often filled with honey, bacon and maple syrup by hunters to lure bears.
Setting off to find his dying prey, Bowmar spots the spear – dislodged from the fleeing animal’s side as the shaft hit against a tree. He inspects it and says: ‘Oh yeah, I got mad penetration.’ He then brags how the weapon’s homemade grip allows him to spin it for greater accuracy.
After delaying the search because of the dangers of tracking bears at night in the forest in Alberta, Canada, the following morning he finds part of the stricken animal’s intestines, and eventually its body.
Bowmar, who was accompanied on the hunt by two guides, claims the 7ft 1in bear, estimated to weigh 28st, was found only 60 to 70 yards from where it had been speared and died ‘super fast’. But wildlife campaigners fear it could have taken 20 hours to die.
The furore over the killing, which took place in May, has echoed the case of Cecil the lion, a major attraction at a park in Zimbabwe, who was shot with an arrow last year by US dentist Walter Palmer. Palmer’s team tracked the wounded Cecil, shooting him dead many hours later.
Yesterday Wendy Higgins, of animal protection organisation Humane Society International (HSI), criticised Bowmar. ‘The glorification of baiting a bear, spearing it and enjoying the thrill of the kill is appalling,’ she said.
‘Highlighting these gruesome cases shines a spotlight on an industry which exists to perpetuate the idea that it’s OK to get a kick out of killing animals. This bear was baited to come to a killing spot – it was a sitting duck. There was no skill or hunting prowess involved.
‘Then it was left to die slowly and its death glorified on the internet. An animal’s life should be worth more than that.’
HSI’s Canada arm is calling on the Alberta government to ban the baiting of bears and all trophy bear hunting. Fellow hunters have also criticised Bowmar.
One wrote on US hunting website Outdoorhub: ‘This video was disgusting. It’s mindless jackasses like this performing shameless “stunts” that attempt to glorify the hunter, but by doing so demean the game animal, that give all the anti-hunters the arguments they need. If you want to take an animal humanely, shoot it with a rifle.’
Bowmar, who claims he has received ‘dozens’ of death threats, defended his actions yesterday, insisting that spear hunting ‘gives the animal the greatest chance of escape’.
He said: ‘I know these people don’t understand the truth about hunting and I can’t blame them for their ignorance on the subject.’
Asked if it was inhumane, he said that ‘couldn’t be further from the truth’, claiming his spear killed quickly by penetrating 24 inches and ‘causing more damage and trauma to the bear than any arrow/broadhead/bullet combination could’. He said: ‘No one cares more about these animals than us hunters, especially me. If I just wanted to kill, why not use a rifle and shoot the animal from 500 yards?’
He claimed years of practice with a spear ensured he could ‘harvest this bear ethically’. He and his wife Sarah eat the meat from the bears they kill.
Will Travers, president of wildlife charity Born Free Foundation, said: ‘In a world already blighted by death, destruction and suffering why would anyone choose to kill a wild animal for fun? Cool – I don’t think so. It’s not “living the dream” it’s glorifying in the taking of an innocent life.’