Officials say that a man is sitting in a hot tub

P-22, the Hollywood Cat, a famed mountain lion in Los Angeles and a cougar with a flair for urban wildlife

A famous mountain lion known as the “Hollywood Cat” is being evaluated by wildlife officials after exhibiting signs of distress, including killing a leashed dog in a residential neighborhood.

In the past year, P-22 has made a name for himself in LA, where he’s been residing in the city since February 2012 in the park home to the famed observatory and Hollywood Sign.

He most likely got to the area from the Santa Monica Mountains, which is a difficult feat for other lions to achieve. And 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, burrowing beneath a home in a saga that captivated TV audiences and allegedly killing a koala at the L.A. Zoo.

P-22 has been celebrated as the “Brad Pitt of mountain lions” and a sort of “ambassador for urban wildlife.” He is at the end of his species’ typical lifespan and is currently being studied in order to determine if he is the oldest Southern California cougar currently being studied.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife in California said he is a remarkably old cat in the wild who may be showing signs of distress. P-22 There have been two recent attacks on chihuahuas, one of which killed one in Hollywood Hills in November.

The only mountain lion known to have traveled outside the freeways is P-22, and officials from the National Park Service said last week that one of the mountain lions they are tracking gave birth.

The two agencies — state and federal — announced on Thursday that they would team up to catch P-22 and bring him in for a health evaluation. By Monday they had captured him in the backyard.

Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/12/13/1142450048/p22-mountain-lion-hollywood-captured

The Angeleno’s Little Lion P-22: “It’s All You Ever Want”: A Mom’s Prayer for the “Abeleno”

Resident Sarah Picchi was working from home when a wildlife officer rang her doorbell Monday morning to inform her “there’s a lion in your backyard,” as she told the Washington Post.

She and her husband watched from the window as a group of officers cautiously approached the animal in the bushes, subdued him with a tranquilizer gun, checked his teeth and temperature, carried him via tarp into a container and drove away, all in roughly 40 minutes.

Picchi told the New York Times that her neighbors had been watching the sightings and were concerned about P-22, whom she described as a kindred “kind of an Angeleno himself.”

When she heard P-22 had been captured, and that he was brought in quickly, she cried tears of relief.

“P-22 means so much to so many,” she added. The team is dedicated to his safe keeping and makes sure he gets the best care and options for the next phase of his journey.

The wildlife agencies said they had transported him to a wild animal care facility for a full health evaluation, where an initial assessment found him to be in stable condition. He is undergoing additional veterinary evaluation, and the agencies say they are working to find “the most humane option” for both the lion and his community.

“CDFW veterinarians and NPS biologists will determine the best next steps for the animal while also prioritizing the safety of the surrounding communities,” they said. “CDFW and NPS have been in contact with leading institutions for animal care and rehabilitation centers.”

They noted “how many people are concerned about mountain lions, their conservation and P-22 in particular,” and promised to provide more updates as they have them.

The victim of the March 18 incident in Nathrop, Colorado, reported by the owner of a rental home in the area around a mountain lion

The victim said he felt something grab his head while he was in the hot tub with his wife on March 18. The two were staying at a rental home in a heavily wooded area five miles west of Nathrop.

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the man and his wife started screaming and splashing water at the animal. The wife of the victim grabbed a flashlight and shined it on the animal, which they then thought was a mountain lion.

They called the owner of the rental property, who coincidentally happened to be an employee of Colorado Parks and Wildlife and alerted officers who came to the scene.

The victim had minor scratches on the top of his head and declined medical assistance. Officers confirmed the scratches were consistent with mountain lion claws, according to the release.

The big cat was the subject of a search by officers. The agency said that mountain lion tracks could not be found because of the cold temperatures and frozen snow. There were traps near the rental property.

Estimates place the mountain lion population in Colorado at anywhere between 3,000 and 7,000 cats, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The elusive predators, which typically avoid humans, typically kill large herbivores like deer and elk. Adult males can be up to 8 feet in length and weigh an average of 150 pounds.