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A former college javelin thrower is attracting global backlash for posting a video online showing him killing a black bear in Alberta, Canada.
Bodybuilder and fitness buff Josh Bowmar is being criticized in the media and by the Humane Society of the United States for killing the bear with a spear that had a GoPro camera attached to it.
Wayne Pacelle, chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States, said in a blog post that Bowmar, 26, of Columbus, Ohio, baited the female bear and killed it during the spring when mothers are nursing dependent cubs. He used a homemade spear with a camera attached and breathlessly celebrated the kill.
“He’s so deeply disconnected from the suffering of an innocent creature that he felt free to yell and prance with joy as the life was spilling out of this innocent animal,” Pacelle wrote. He added that Bowmar is “this year’s version of Walter Palmer,” the American dentist who killed a lion and attracted worldwide attention.
Bowmar's 13-minute video of the incident is no longer publicly available on his YouTube channel. Edited versions of it have been posted by media outlets, including The Mirror newspaper in the United Kingdom.
Track and field websites report that Bowmar was a javelin thrower and sprinter for Heidelberg College. He has also competed in the Arnold Classic body building competitions.
Bowmar told The Mirror on Monday that he cares about animals and considered it an ethical kill.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror he said: “You all should be ashamed of yourselves for trying to kill a heritage that has existed for over a million years.
“Literally, since the dawn of man, the spear has been a vital role in survival.”
(The below video may be disturbing to some viewers)
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