P-22, the famous mountain lion of Los Angeles, has died

P-22: An Old Los Angeles City Wolf with a Mountain Lion After Two Killings and One Furious Loss? The Case for an Old Vicious Mountain Lion

For years, a wild mountain lion’s presence in metropolitan Los Angeles captured the attention — and adoration — of the city’s residents. He had a sad ending to his story on Saturday.

P-22 became a celebrity when he was photographed beneath the famous Hollywood sign. The image was in the December issue of National Geographic.

The National Park Service says he likely got to the area through the LA freeways, a feat other lions have died trying to do. He’s gained further notoriety over the years, with some of his greatest hits including posing for a now-famous photoshoot by the Hollywood sign, overcoming a public battle with rat poison, and burrowing beneath a home in a saga that captured TV audiences and is said to have killed a koala.

P-22 has been hailed as the Brad Pitt of mountain lions and an “ambassador” for urban wildlife. He is 12 years old, which puts him at the age of his species’ typical lifespan and makes him the oldest southern California cougar currently being studied by the National Park Service.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) calls him “a remarkably old cat in the wild,” and expressed concerns that he may be exhibiting signs of distress, citing sightings and recordings of him getting close to human dwellings. P-22 The blame is being attributed for two attacks on leashed chihuahuas, one in Hollywood Hills killing one and the other earlier this month.

“This is the first time that a mountain lion has survived in an urban setting,” the CDFW said. Scientists are saying that challenges associated with living on an island of habitat seem to be increasing, and a recent change in his behavior, as P-22 has aged. The consequences of lack of habitat for mountain lions and all wildlife is underscored by this.

P-22, a Mountain Lion, Arrived at a Hospital after an Explosion by a Wildlife Officer in a Residents’ Backyard

The state and federal government said they would work together to catch P-22 and bring him to a hospital for a health evaluation. He was captured in a resident’s backyard.

As reported by the Washington Post, a wildlife officer rang Sarah’s doorbell to inform her she had a lion in her backyard.

She and her husband watched from the window as a group of officers cautiously approach the animal in the bushes, subdued him with a tranquilizer gun, check his teeth and temperature, and then take him away in less than 40 minutes.

According to the New York Times, the residents of her neighborhood were concerned about P-22 since he was a kind of Angeleno himself.

The California executive director of the National Wildlife Federation attended the burial and wrote on her Facebook account that it helped her achieve some measure of peace.

She said the cause of P-22’s sudden change is not known, acknowledging the people and pets that his “distress has impacted” and thanking the community for their support during this challenging time.

“The results of these tests and screenings showed significant trauma to the mountain lion’s head, right eye and internal organs, confirming the suspicion of recent injury, such as a vehicle strike,” CDFW officials said in a press release announcing the decision. “The trauma to his internal organs would require invasive surgical repair.”

The best next steps for an animal will be determined by theCDFW veterinarians and biologists, with priority being given to the safety of surrounding communities. “CDFW and NPS have already been in contact with leading institutions for animal care and rehabilitation centers.”

They promised to give more updates as they have them and noted how many people are concerned about mountain lions.

P-22 was given an “extensive evaluation” which “showed significant trauma to the mountain lion’s head, right eye and internal organs, confirming the suspicion of recent injury, such as a vehicle strike,” said the department. “The trauma to his internal organs would require invasive surgical repair.”

The big cat made news last month when he attacked and killed a dog. He was captured on Tuesday after the authorities were able to locate him using his tracking collar data.

The 22-Year-Old Puma, a Mountain Lion, Buried Saturday at the Los Angeles Zoo on a Los Angeles Highway

The medical team at San Diego Zoo concluded on Saturday that P-22 was in a poor condition and should be euthanized.

A mountain lion who was 12 years old had numerous pre-existing illnesses, which included irreversible glomerulosclerosis, chronic weight loss and extensive skin infections, according to the release.

He was in poor health overall and “may also have had additional underlying conditions not yet fully characterized by diagnostics,” said the department.

“This situation is not the fault of P-22, nor of a driver who may have hit him,” CDFW officials said in the release. “Rather, it is an eventuality that arises from habitat loss and fragmentation, and it underscores the need for thoughtful construction of wildlife crossings and well-planned spaces that provide wild animals room to roam.”

“P-22’s survival on an island of wilderness in the heart of Los Angeles captivated people around the world and revitalized efforts to protect our diverse native species and ecosystems,” Newsom said in a news release.

The mountain lion’s incredible journey helped inspire a new era of nature conservancies, and included the world’s largest wildlife overpass in Liberty Canyon. We will protect California’s precious natural heritage with innovative strategies and coalitions, and we will continue doing so for generations to come.

His journey over the freeways inspired a wildlife crossing over a Los Angeles-area highway that will allow big cats and other animals safe passage between the mountains and wildlands to the north. The bridge broke ground in April.

The 12-year-old “Hollywood Cat” made his debut in 2012 after completing a dangerous trek from the Santa Monica Mountains, that included crossing two major LA freeways, according to the National Park Service.

LOS ANGELES — Tribal leaders, scientists and conservation advocates buried Southern California’s most famous mountain lion Saturday in the mountains where the big cat once roamed.

P-22 became a symbol of California’s mountain lions and their decreasing genetic diversity after making his home in the city in the past decade. The mountain lion was the 22nd puma to be studied by the National Park Service.

P-22’s burial in the Santa Monica Mountains as a sacred mountain lion: an Indian tribute to the Pasadena elders and a beloved send-off

Some of the people associated with the Chumash, Tataviam and Gabrielino people argue that the remains of the man should be buried in his ancestral lands. The elders of the tribe thought keeping the specimen for testing would be disrespectful. Mountain lions are regarded as relatives and considered teachers in LA’s tribal communities.

A possible compromise was discussed in the last few weeks, but it wasn’t possible before P-22 was buried in the Santa Monica Mountains.

It was not clear if the tribes would allow scientists to keep some of the samples for further testing or whether the samples would be buried with the animal in the future.

Saturday’s traditional tribal burial included songs, prayers and sage smoke cleansings, according to Alan Salazar, a tribal member of the Fernandeño A descendant of a tribe from India and a Band of Mission Indians.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where the cougar’s remains had been kept in a freezer before the burial, called the burial a “historically significant ceremony.”

Salazar, who attended the ceremony, said he believes P-22’s legacy will help wildlife officials and scientists realize the importance of being respectful to animals going forward.

“I can also imagine P-22 at peace now, with such a powerful and caring send-off to the next place,” she wrote. There was a red-tailed hawk overhead who called loudly when we laid him to rest.

Los Angeles and Mumbai are the world’s only major cities where large cats have been a regular presence for years — mountain lions in one, leopards in the other — though pumas began roaming the streets of Santiago, Chile, during pandemic lockdowns.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/03/07/1161569051/tribes-bury-p-22-southern-californias-famed-mountain-lion

P-22’s Gravesite in the Santa Monica Mountains: A Monument to a Hero, a Tribute to Governor Gavin Newsom

Los Angeles celebrated his life last month at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park in a star-studded memorial that featured musical performances, tribal blessings, speeches about the importance of P-22’s life and wildlife conservation, and a video message from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

To honor the place where the animal made his home among the city’s urban sprawl, a boulder from Griffith Park was brought to the gravesite in the Santa Monica Mountains and placed near P-22’s grave, Salazar said.