'Cruel' bear spear-hunting should be banned: wildlife advocates

Advocates dismayed spear hunting stil legal in B.C. The controversial practice is allowed in our province, despite a worldwide outcry.

Wildlife advocates are calling on the B.C. government to outlaw spear-hunting after graphic video of a hunter killing a bear led to a decision to ban the practice in Alberta.

Only migratory game birds or bison are off-limits to spear hunters in B.C., but critics say the hunting method should be abolished altogether.

“It’s defenseless, it’s cruel, it’s unnecessary and it should not be allowed to happen in this day and age,” said Ian McAllister, a director with the non-profit organization Pacific Wild.

American hunter Josh Bowmar recently set bait for an Alberta black bear and waited to kill the animal with a spear. Multiple cameras, including one mounted on the spear, recorded the attack. The video was posted to YouTube but has recently been made private as Bowmar faces increasing criticism.

“It’s just tragic that this is being allowed within Canada, that someone can purposely bait a bear and kill it with a spear,” McAllister said.

In a statement from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, the province said the onus lies with individual hunters.

“Ethics play a large role in a hunter’s decision to hunt with a spear. Hunters should consider whether the method being used is an effective and humane way to harvest an animal, and that the potential for wounding loss or unnecessary suffering is minimized,” the statement read.

Bowmar, a former college javelin competitor, defended his actions in a statement to CTV News, saying, in part, spear-hunting is “as humane and ethical as one could get in a hunting situation on big game animals. Trust me, no one cares more about these animals more than us hunters, especially me.”

Bowmar, who has received death threats in response to the video, does not appear to breaks any laws in the 13-minute video, but the Alberta government has asked wildlife officers to examine his entire hunting trip to ensure that he and his group followed the province's hunting regulations.

With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Sarah MacDonald