Requiem for a Great Cat

wildlifeconservationurban-ecologylos-angelesmountain-lion

Abstraction: P-22 mountain lion of Griffith Park life and cultural legacy

Key points:

P-22, a male mountain lion born in the Santa Monica Mountains, crossed two major freeways (I-405, US-101) as a juvenile and lived in 4,200-acre Griffith Park from ~2012 until his death in December 2022
His father was P-1, the first cat tagged in an ongoing National Park Service mountain lion study started in 2002
Became a Los Angeles celebrity; a memorial at the Greek Theatre drew thousands; the LA Philharmonic commissioned a work titled "Cool Cat"
P-22's fame accelerated construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 freeway, scheduled to open in 2025
His territory (~4,200 acres) was about a tenth of a normal puma habitat range; he never found a mate
Death followed a car strike, kidney disease, and behavioral changes (attacking pets); officials euthanized him after capture

Connections: National Wildlife Federation · Urban Wildlife · Wildlife Conservation · Human Animal Coexistence