Twitter brings people together — and so did a certain bear whose run through Arvada yesterday briefly captivated all of Colorado.
By the time the ursine star was captured and taken away, humorous tweets about the situation, and the live coverage of it by multiple Denver TV stations, had been unleashed by members of the police, the media, just plain folks and an actual professional comedian.
The first official words about the bear came courtesy of the Arvada Police Department....
Welcome to Colorado, where we launch SkyFOX to follow a bear. I can get down on less violent crime & more Bear-Watch. pic.twitter.com/Nsl00YQENS
— Greg Dutra (@DutraWeather) August 27, 2015
...which promptly shared a Twitpic of the fugitive snapped by Kristin Fox, who also sent the shot to 9News.
HAPPENING NOW: We are tracking a bear, currently on the grounds of Ralston Valley HS. School is on lockout. CPW on scene.
— Arvada Police (@ArvadaPolice) August 27, 2015
In short order, a helicopter was sent out to capture footage of the runaway bear....
The ride for the Arvada bear has arrived. I guess an Uber car wasn't available? pic.twitter.com/W8oX2e6gch
— Jayson Luber (@7NewsTraffic) August 27, 2015
...prompting John Pagel, who works for Elitch's, to take sides in the story.
I'm really disappointed in the lack of live coverage of this #BreakingNews story! #BearLivesMatter #RunBearRun https://t.co/VMVdDpDInT
— John Pagel (@TheRealPagel) August 27, 2015
7News eye-in-the-sky Jayson Luber also cracked wise about the mission....
WATCH LIVE Wildlife officials are tracking a bear in Arvada http://t.co/mv1I9Ezxzq pic.twitter.com/5JH8tr9eHB
— KDVR FOX31 Denver (@KDVR) August 27, 2015
...as did pilot Greg Sutra:
Less guns more of this. https://t.co/AwjckddWP5
— Adam Cayton-Holland (@CaytonHolland) August 27, 2015
Former Westword writer turned comedian Adam Cayton-Holland definitely appreciated the hard work....
@CaytonHolland @DenverChannel @ArvadaPolice If those kids had guns, though, they could shoot it. Only a good kid with a gun can stop a bear.
— Cory Casciato (@casciato) August 27, 2015
...as did a current Westword contributor, Cory Casciato:
@casciato @CaytonHolland @DenverChannel We prefer a tranquilizer dart and cozy ride back up to high country. This isn't Walking Dead.
— Arvada Police (@ArvadaPolice) August 27, 2015
Rather than ignoring this exchange, however, the Arvada Police Department weighed in with this....
@casciato @CaytonHolland @DenverChannel We prefer a tranquilizer dart and cozy ride back up to high country. This isn't Walking Dead.
— Arvada Police (@ArvadaPolice) August 27, 2015
...much to the delight of writer Luke Henderson.
Don't let the man bring you down! #BearLivesMatter #RunBearRun https://t.co/w7Lu4bKjiS
— John Pagel (@TheRealPagel) August 27, 2015
In the meantime, Pagel offered a little wry media commentary:
@CherylPreheim @ArvadaPolice pic.twitter.com/t6amvjtDoA
— Kristin Fox (@KristinElliot) August 27, 2015
Apparently, he was the only one.
Unfortunately, the story has an unhappy ending for the bear. According to Colorado's wildlife department, the bear's ill health means it will have to be put down.
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
SHOW ME HOW
Newsletters
At least the bear brought a lot of joy before exiting the scene. Here's a 7News video featuring some of that exciting bear footage.
Or sign in with a social account:
FACEBOOK GOOGLE + TWITTER YAHOO!