From Hollywood to caged: Capture, death of beloved P-22 mountain lion is part of a growing problem

Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY
·5 min read
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For more than a decade, California’s most famous mountain lion lived peacefully with his human neighbors in Los Angeles. That era came to an end Saturday as officials announced P-22 had been "compassionately euthanized." 

P-22’s territory included the Hollywood sign, the region’s most popular hiking trails and some of its ritziest homes.

He became the city’s unofficial mascot in 2013 when a National Geographic photographer captured a now-famous image of him at night, prowling a trail with the Hollywood sign behind him. After that, a fan created a Facebook page that drew 20,000 followers, artists painted murals of him on city walls, and he was the subject of several books. Every October there's an annual P-22 festival.

In a city filled with human celebrities, P-22 has frequently topped the news, most recently for attacking small dogs and drawing attention to a growing problem across the globe – conflict that arises when humans expand into animal territory.

P-22 is pictured after his capture in 2019.
P-22 is pictured after his capture in 2019.

Trying to do what's best

As climate change and expanding human populations chip away at animal territory, encounters are becoming more common.

About 56 percent of Earth's land is currently shared by people and wildlife, said Nilanga Jayasinghe, an expert in human-wildlife conflict with the World Wildlife Fund.

"If you look at the rates of habitat loss and human development happening that correlates with habitat loss, as well, that is only going to increase," Jayasinghe said. "So we can imagine the tremendous pressure that we're going to be putting both on wildlife and people as they co-occur in the same space. This means that interactions are only going to increase."

And when conflict arises, animals tend to be on the losing end of the equation.

Last year, wildlife managers killed a grizzly bear in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park after they said he got used to getting food from humans and became a safety risk. Two others were killed in Montana earlier this year after wildlife managers say they displayed increasingly bold behavior with people.

Science magazine reported that hunters have killed hundreds of wolves in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming after federal and state governments eased restrictions. And last month, wildlife officials in the Los Angeles area killed a coyote after it tried to drag a toddler away in an attack captured on video.

And then there was P-22.

This photo provided by the U.S. National Park Service shows a mountain lion known as P-22, photographed in November 2014 in the Griffith Park area near downtown Los Angeles. Southern California's most famous mountain lion, known for roaming across freeways and making a sprawling Los Angeles park his home, was captured Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, by wildlife officials who said they want to examine the big cat after he killed a dog that was being walked in the Hollywood Hills.

Until last month, the 11-year-old mountain lion lived harmoniously with Los Angeles residents. That's when he started attacking small dogs in area neighborhoods, including killing a Chihuahua mix named Piper that was being walked on a leash.

Saying the dog attacks were a sign that P-22 was in distress, wildlife officials who've been studying the big cat over the years captured him last week. The news was bad: the beloved cougar was dramatically underweight, his coat was thin and his right eye had an injury most consistent with being hit by a car.

Officials knew it was unlikely he would be able to return to the wilds of Los Angeles' mountains. Wildlife officials believed euthanasia was a possibility, said Ed Pert, regional manager of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A Saturday release announcing P-22's death said the mountain lion "had several severe injuries and chronic health problems" that led experts to recommend euthanasia.

Systemic failings of "habitat loss and fragmentation" were partly to blame for the iconic animal's death, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said. "It underscores the need for thoughtful construction of wildlife crossings and well-planned spaces that provide wild animals room to roam."

In this photo provided by The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) a mountain lion known as P-22, is transported to a wild animal care facility for a full health evaluation on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, in the Hollywood Hills.
In this photo provided by The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) a mountain lion known as P-22, is transported to a wild animal care facility for a full health evaluation on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022, in the Hollywood Hills.

'HE'S OUR ROYALTY'

P-22's biggest fans have been taking to social media to express their sadness over the latest news.

"Remember a couple months ago when the Queen's health started going?" wrote one Twitter user. "That's what LA is going through right now with P-22. Our King isn't doing well, and LA is worried."

Beth Pratt, who leads the #SaveLACougars campaign and got a tattoo of P-22 on her arm in 2014, said it's been an emotional week.

"He's our royalty," she said. "It's tough knowing he's in distress. It's tough knowing he's not going back to Griffith Park ... He's somebody who's been in our lives for 10 years and LA just doesn't seem the same right now."

Beth Pratt, California regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation, leads the #SaveLACougars campaign. She got a tattoo of P-22 on her arm in 2014.
Beth Pratt, California regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation, leads the #SaveLACougars campaign. She got a tattoo of P-22 on her arm in 2014.

Brent Lyles, executive director of the Mountain Lion Foundation, said P-22's fame and the community's love for him, make him unique in the arena of human-animal conflict.

"P-22 is a beloved superstar," Lyles said from his base in Washington. "So we've been right there with everyone watching to see what's happening and hoping for the best."

He said his organization has been inundated with concerned P-22 lovers from all over the country since the big cat was reported to be in distress.

"Folks are really passionate about this lion, and they want to see him treated well," he said. "A lot of folks are scared that euthanasia may have to be the option and they don't want to see that happen."

P-22's legacy is sealed forever in Los Angeles. His fame helped draw support for the construction of what will be the world's biggest wildlife bridge, a $90 million span expected to be finished in 2025.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, third from left, joins other dignitaries during a ground breaking ceremony for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing Friday, April 22, 2022, in Agoura Hills, Calif. Construction has begun on what's billed as the world's largest wildlife crossing for mountain lions and other animals caught in Southern California's urban sprawl.

"We would not have a wildlife crossing without his very human story of being trapped and isolated, and that captivated the imagination of people around the world," Pratt said, referring to P-22's very small range surrounded by busy freeways.

"He has ensured a future for all of his mountain lion relatives in the area." she said.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Death of beloved P-22 mountain lion emblematic of growing problem