#BearLivesMatter: Twitter Comedy Erupts Over Live Arvada Bear Capture

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...

By Michael Roberts

August 28, 2015

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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.

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.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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