P-22

P-22 was born circa 2010 in the western part of the Santa Monica Mountains. Genetic testing showed that his father was P-1.{{cite news |title=He’s terminally single and getting old. What’s next for P-22, L.A’s favorite wild bachelor? |work=LA Times |date=April 21, 2022 |first=Laura J. |last= Nelson|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-21/whats-next-for-p-22-mountain-lion-los-angeles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421121936/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-04-21/whats-next-for-p-22-mountain-lion-los-angeles |archive-date=April 21, 2022}} P-1 was known as "king of the mountains," having a very large territory.{{cite web |title=Life and Death of P-22, L.A.'s Most Famous Mountain Lion |website=Los Angeles Almanac |url=https://www.laalmanac.com/environment/ev704.php}} His mother was an unknown puma, one who had not been recorded in the study of local pumas.

Sometime before 2012, P-22 headed east within the Santa Monica Mountains to Griffith Park, where he settled after crossing two major Los Angeles freeways (Interstate 405 and Route 101).{{cite magazine | title = An Urban Wildlife Bridge is Coming to California | magazine = The New Yorker | last = Witt | first = Emily | date = May 17, 2022 | url = https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-los-angeles/an-urban-wildlife-bridge-is-coming-to-california }} His success in evading traffic on these major routes was highlighted, since multiple mountain lions have died after being struck by vehicles on Los Angeles freeways.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-08-26/mountain-lion-believed-to-be-p-22-spotted-roaming-hollywood-hills-streets |url-access=subscription |title=Mountain lion P-22 spotted roaming Hollywood Hills streets |last=Goldberg |first=Noah |date=August 26, 2022 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}} The exact route for P-22's journey is unknown.{{cite news | last = Curwen | first = Thomas | date = February 8, 2017 | title = A week in the life of P‑22, the big cat who shares Griffith Park with millions of people | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | url = https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-me-griffith-park-mountain-lion/ | url-access = subscription | access-date = October 27, 2022}}

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The U.S. National Park Service noted that P-22's {{convert|9|sqmi||spell=in|adj=mid| Griffith Park habitat}} is too small for an adult cat by a factor of 31 and that it was unlikely he would ever find a mate there. It’s the smallest ever recorded range for an adult male mountain lion.{{Cite web |date=December 17, 2022 |title=Statement on P-22 from Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area |url=https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/news/statement-on-p-22-from-santa-monica-mountains-national-recreation-area.htm |access-date=December 17, 2022 |publisher=National Park Service |language=}}{{NoteTag|P-22 is likely not the first mountain lion to have taken up residence in Griffith Park, although the duration of his stay was remarkably long. A mountain lion's body was found in Griffith Park sometime in 1996 or 1997, after being hit by a vehicle. Another mountain lion was sighted several times in Griffith Park in 2004 and rangers found evidence (including deer remains) to support its presence there.{{Cite news |last1=Hymon |first1=Steve |last2=Sciaudone |first2=Christiana |date=April 29, 2004 |title=A Mountain Lion Far From Home |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-29-me-lion29-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 18, 2022}}}}

P-22 primarily resided in Griffith Park but was spotted by Angelenos throughout the Los Angeles neighborhoods of the Hollywood Hills,{{cite news | last = Groves | first = Martha | title = Scientists track cougar's wild nightlife above Hollywood | date = October 4, 2013 | url = https://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-griffith-park-lion-20131005-story.html | url-access = subscription | newspaper = Los Angeles Times}}{{cite news | last = Fields | first = Kayle | title = Mountain Lion Calls Hollywood Hills Home | url = https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/mountain-lion-calls-hollywood-hills-home | work = ABC News | date = March 12, 2014 }}{{cite news | last1 = Solis | first1 = Nathan | last2 = Yee | first2 = Gregory | title = P-22 is back home in Griffith Park. Here's how he survived urban ills to become L.A.'s most famous cat | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | url = https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-03-10/how-p-22-l-a-s-famous-cat-survived-freeways-urban-ills | url-access = subscription | date = March 10, 2022}}{{cite news | last = Park | first = Jeong | title = Los Feliz couple encounter surprise in their driveway: mountain lion believed to be P-22 | date = October 9, 2022 | url = https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-10-09/a-los-feliz-couple-comes-within-three-feet-of-mountain-lion-believed-to-be-p-22 | url-access = subscription | newspaper = Los Angeles Times}} Los Feliz,{{cite news | title = Mountain lion P-22 trapped under Los Feliz home | work = ABC 7 – Eyewitness News | url = https://abc7.com/p22-mountain-lion-los-feliz/657009/ | date = April 13, 2015}}{{cite news | title = P-22 vacates home, heads back to Griffith Park, wildlife officials say | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | last1 = Groves | first1 = Martha | last2 = Jennings | first2 = Angel | date = April 13, 2015 | url = https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-famed-p22-mountain-lion-found-under-los-feliz-home-owner-says-20150413-story.html | url-access = subscription}} and Silver Lake.{{cite news | last = Kurland | first = Zoe | title = We Saw A Mountain Lion Walking In Silver Lake. The Famous P-22 Takes A Stroll, Then Heads Home To Griffith Park | work = LAist | date = March 10, 2022 | url = https://laist.com/news/mountain-lion-p-22-spotted-in-silver-lake }}{{cite news | title = Celebrity Mountain Lion P-22 Visits Silver Lake Once Again This Weekend | last = Haring | first = Bruce | url = https://deadline.com/2022/03/celebrity-mountain-lion-p-22-visits-silver-lake-once-again-this-weekend-1234987810/ | date = March 27, 2022 | work = Deadline}}

The Griffith Park Connectivity Study, funded by Friends of Griffith Park, was launched in mid-2011. FoGP entered a study agreement and purchased thirteen wildlife cameras. The study objective was to evaluate the movement of large and medium-sized mammals to and from Griffith Park and the surrounding open space. It was the first project in the Griffith Park region targeting potential corridors. The study was expanded further in 2013, to include tunnels to the LA River and other passages.

Daniel S. Cooper led the study. Erin Boydston of USGS Western Ecological Research Center also supported the project. Miguel Ordeñana joined as a field biologist. The three ecologists, Cooper, Boydston, and Ordeñana, soon began to document deer, bobcats and coyotes crossing via one of the overpass bridges of the Hollywood Freeway in Cahuenga Pass. Ordeñana, poring over hundreds of motion-triggered photos, saw the first camera image taken on February 12, 2012 of the hind quarters of a male mountain lion on a rugged ridgeline just above Ford Theatre. The team released a Study Update in March 2012.{{Cite report |last1=Cooper |first1=Dan |last2=Ordeñana |first2=Miguel |last3=Boydston |first3=Erin |date=March 2012 |title=Griffith Park Wildlife Connectivity Study Project Update |url=https://friendsofgriffithpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ProjectInfoSheet_FINAL.pdf |publisher=Friends of Griffith Park}}{{cite book |last=Pratt |first=Beth |date=2014 |title=When Mountain Lions Are Neighbors |chapter=A Mountain Lion in Hollywoodland |url=https://www.nwf.org/~/media/PDFs/Wildlife/V-Z/Beth-Booklet_WhenMountainLionsAreNeighbors_web.pdf}}{{cite web | website = Friends of Griffith Park | title = P-22's Decade in Griffith Park | url = https://friendsofgriffithpark.org/p-22/}}

Jeff Sikich led the mission to catch him. He was first caught in March of 2012. He was fitted with an electronic neck collar that recorded his location over time. He then weighed {{convert|90|lbs|kg}}. He was designated P-22. P is short for "puma" and 22 refers to him being the 22nd puma in the ongoing puma study.{{NoteTag|Mountain lions studied by the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains are numbered sequentially by capture date.{{cite web | website = Friends of Griffith Park | title = P-22's Decade in Griffith Park | url = https://friendsofgriffithpark.org/p-22/}}{{cite magazine | magazine = The Atlantic | title = Tracking the Mountain Lion That Ate a Chihuahua | last = Nyce | first = Caroline Mimbs | date = November 29, 2022 | url = https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/hollywood-cat-p-22-mountain-lion-los-angeles/672285/}} In 2015, radio station KPCC held a poll to choose a "more personal" common-use name for P-22. Proposed names included Felix (like Felix the Cat), Yossarian (based on Catch-22), Tukuurot (Tongva word for mountain lion), Pete Puma (Looney Tunes), Pounce de Leon (Juan Ponce de León), Huell, and Puma Thurman (Uma Thurman). However, the winning name by a large margin was P-22, and so his name stayed.{{cite news | last = Rabe | first = John | title = And P-22 the mountain lion's 'new' name, selected by listeners, is... | date = April 24, 2015| url = https://archive.kpcc.org/programs/offramp/2015/04/24/42548/and-p-22-the-mountain-lion-s-new-name-selected-by/ | work = KPCC}}}}

National Geographic photographer Steve Winter worked with Jeff Sikich, a wildlife biologist with the National Park Service,{{cite magazine | url = https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/p22-hollywood-cougar-steve-winter-photography | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221214211616/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/p22-hollywood-cougar-steve-winter-photography | url-status = dead | archive-date = December 14, 2022 | title = How this photo turned a reclusive mountain lion into a Hollywood icon | last = Dell'Amore | first = Christine | date = December 14, 2022 | magazine = National Geographic}} to photograph P-22. He spent 15 months putting up camera traps in Griffith Park, and getting his cameras stolen, before capturing the now-famous photo of P-22 under the Hollywood Sign. This image appeared in the December 2013 issue of National Geographic.

File:P-22 Mange- Before and After (24129028442).jpg (left) and in December 2015, after treatment (right)]]

In 2014, the National Park Service reported that P-22 had contracted mange stemming from exposure to anti-blood-clotting rat poison by way of biomagnification.{{cite news | title = Griffith Park Mountain Lion Exposed to Poison, Suffering from Mange | website = Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area | publisher = National Park Service | url = https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/news/gp-lion-exposed-to-poison.htm | date = April 17, 2017 | access-date = October 27, 2022}}{{cite news | title = LA Mountain Lion A Poster Cat For California's Rat Poison Problem | last = Hillard | first = Gloria | url = https://www.npr.org/2014/06/21/323970068/la-mountain-lion-a-poster-cat-for-californias-rat-poison-problem | work = Weekend Edition Saturday | publisher = NPR | date = June 21, 2014}} The Park Service captured P-22, administered topical medications and injections of vitamin K in efforts to treat him, then released him back into Griffith Park. The mange eventually subsided and P-22's health improved. The National Park Service again captured P-22 in December 2015 and found he had fully recovered, gaining 15 pounds.{{cite news | last = Kim | first = Jed | title = Mountain lion P-22's health much better in latest checkup | date = January 7, 2016 | url = https://www.kpcc.org/2016-01-07/mountain-lion-p-22-s-health-much-better-in-latest | work = KPCC}}{{cite news |last=Branson-Potts |first=Hailey |date=January 7, 2016 |title=Griffith Park mountain lion P-22 looking healthy again |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-puma-22-20160108-story.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212185620/https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-puma-22-20160108-story.html |archive-date=December 12, 2022}}

In 2016, the Los Angeles Zoo reported the disappearance of an elderly koala named Killarney, whose carcass was found outside of the koala enclosure.{{cite news | title = Mountain lion featured in National Geographic mauls koala in L.A. Zoo | last = Martinez | first = Michael | date = March 10, 2016 | url = https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/10/us/los-angeles-p-22-mountain-lion-mauls-zoo-koala-bear-killarney | work = CNN}}{{cite web | title = Is P-22 mountain lion too dangerous for Griffith Park? Koala death sparks debate | last1 = Serna | first1 = Joseph | last2 = Branson-Potts | first2 = Hailey | date = March 11, 2016 | url = https://www.baltimoresun.com/la-me-ln-mountain-lion-p22-too-dangerous-for-griffith-park-20160311-story.html | website = The Baltimore Sun}}{{cite news | title = L.A. Zoo to the mountain lion that probably ate its koala: No hard feelings | last = Kaplan | first = Sarah | date = March 17, 2016 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/17/l-a-zoo-to-the-mountain-lion-that-probably-ate-its-koala-no-hard-feelings/ | newspaper = The Washington Post}} Surveillance footage from the zoo showed P-22 (then seven years old) nearby on zoo grounds, although neither the GPS-tracking data nor camera footage recorded an actual interaction between the two animals.{{cite web | last = Domonoske | first = Camila | date = March 11, 2016 | title = LA's Famous Mountain Lion Suspected In Koala Killing | website = The Two Way | publisher = NPR | url = https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/03/11/470099818/las-famous-mountain-lion-suspected-in-koala-killing }} Los Angeles City Council member Mitch O'Farrell called for investigating the relocation of P-22 after the incident.{{cite news | newspaper = The New York Times | last = Lovett | first = Ian | date = March 23, 2016 | title = Prime Suspect in Koala's Murder: Los Angeles's Mountain Lion | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/24/us/prime-suspect-in-koalas-murder-los-angeless-mountain-lion.html | access-date = December 17, 2022}} The National Park Service called the koala killing "normal predatory behavior", and the Zoo declined to ask for a depredation permit for P-22, instead opting for more secure enclosure methods for some of its animals at night.

The National Park Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced in December 2022 that they would capture P-22 to evaluate his health,{{Cite press release |date=December 8, 2022 |title=California Department of Fish and Wildlife and National Park Service Team Up to Evaluate P-22 |url=https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/california-department-of-fish-and-wildlife-and-national-park-service-team-up-to-evaluate-p-221 |access-date=December 9, 2022 |work= wildlife.ca.gov |publisher=California Department of Fish and Wildlife |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129060636/https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/california-department-of-fish-and-wildlife-and-national-park-service-team-up-to-evaluate-p-221 |archive-date=Jan 29, 2023}} following a pair of attacks on chihuahuas in the city.{{cite news |last=Yee |first=Gregory |date=December 10, 2022 |title=The search for P-22 is on. Here's why capturing L.A.'s star mountain lion could take weeks |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-10/los-angeles-mountain-lion-p-22-capture-could-take-weeks |url-access=subscription}} Changes in his behavior had also been noticed including appearing to be agitated and venturing farther from his usual range.{{Cite web |last=Kranking |first=Carlyn |date=December 19, 2022 |title=Why Los Angeles Fell in Love With the Mountain Lion Known as P-22 |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-mountain-lion-whose-life-captivated-los-angeles-has-died-180981326/ |access-date=2022-12-28 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}} On December 12, he was located in a Los Feliz homeowner's backyard and tranquilized by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.{{Cite news |last1=Martinez |first1=Christian |last2=Nelson |first2=Laura J. |last3=Solis |first3=Nathan |date=December 12, 2022 |title=P-22 captured in backyard of Los Feliz home, resident says |work=Los Angeles Times |url= https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-12/p-22-captured-in-backyard-of-los-feliz-home-resident-says |url-access= subscription |access-date=December 12, 2022}} He was first triaged at the Los Angeles Zoo, and then taken to the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Officials initially said he was in stable condition{{cite news |last=Albeck-Ripka |first=Livia |date=December 12, 2022 |title=The Lion Sleeps Tonight: P-22, Elusive L.A. Fixture, Is Captured |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/12/us/mountain-lion-p22-los-angeles-caught.html |access-date= December 13, 2022}} and were considering all options, including releasing P-22 back into the wild or keeping him in a wildlife sanctuary, but that euthanasia was off the table unless P-22 was determined to be suffering from a "really serious" health condition.{{Cite news |last1=Martinez |first1=Christian |last2=Solis |first2=Nathan |last3=Nelson |first3=Laura J. |last4=Yee |first4=Gregory |date=December 13, 2022 |title=What will happen to P-22 after his capture? 'No options are off the table' for big cat |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-13/what-happens-to-p-22-after-captured-no-options-off-the-table |url-status=dead |access-date=December 13, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221213175735/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-13/what-happens-to-p-22-after-captured-no-options-off-the-table |archive-date=December 13, 2022}}

The next day, officials announced that P-22 would likely not be released back into Griffith Park, and that his health had deteriorated. According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Park Service, he was found to be significantly underweight, with thinning fur, possible mange, and damage to his right eye, possibly from a vehicle—a vehicle collision with a mountain lion had been reported the night of December 11, and P-22's radio collar data supported the idea that he had been the mountain lion involved.{{Cite news |last1=Martinez |first1=Christian |last2=Solis |first2=Nathan |date= December 13, 2022 |title=P-22's health seriously deteriorating, with euthanasia or sanctuary possible |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-13/what-happens-to-p-22-after-captured-no-options-off-the-table |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=December 14, 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221214105719/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-13/what-happens-to-p-22-after-captured-no-options-off-the-table |archive-date=December 14, 2022}} Officials said P-22 would undergo further medical evaluations before a decision was made.

He was examined by a team of doctors at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park which revealed serious health issues. His injuries included skull fractures, injuries to his right eye, skin injuries, and herniation of abdominal organs into his chest.{{Cite news |last=Heyward |first=Giulia |date=2022-12-17 |title=P-22, Hollywood's famous mountain lion, is euthanized after suffering injuries |language=en |work=NPR News |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/12/17/1143851326/p-22-euthanized-mountain-lion-hollywood-los-angeles |access-date=2022-12-22}} In addition to those health issues, P-22 was found to be suffering from multiple longer-term medical problems, including stage 2 kidney failure, heart disease, a parasitic skin infection of Demodex gatoi, and weight loss (he weighed {{cvt|90|lb}} instead of his typical {{cvt|125|lb}}).{{cite web | last = Pratt | first = Beth | title = A Eulogy for P-22, A Mountain Lion Who Changed the World | website = nwf.org| publisher= National Wildlife Federation | date = December 17, 2022 | url = https://www.nwf.org/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2022/12-17-22-Eulogy-P-22}} On December 17, at 9:00 a.m., P-22 was euthanized. A necropsy found he had a systemic ringworm infection which was a first to find this concurrent with a demodectic mange infection in a California mountain lion. The examination confirmed that the multiple severe injuries and chronic conditions impaired his ability to function in the wild and would have lowered his quality of life if placed in human care.{{Cite web |date=June 14, 2023 |title=Final necropsy results released for mountain lion P-22 |url=https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/final-necropsy-results-released-for-mountain-lion-p-22 |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=CDFW News |publisher=California Department of Fish and Wildlife |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614235131/https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/final-necropsy-results-released-for-mountain-lion-p-22 |archive-date=Jun 14, 2023}}

More than a year prior to P-22's actual death, Miguel Ordeñana applied for the Natural History Museum — in the event of P-22's death — to receive his remains for research purposes, and thought that P-22 would be put on display at the museum. When P-22 died, local Native American tribes, who call mountain lions teachers, requested P-22 to be buried near Griffith Park with a ceremony that honors his spirit.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-24 |title=Native tribes call for famed mountain lion P-22 to be buried with ceremony near Griffith Park |url=https://abc7.com/p-22-burial-native-tribes-natural-history-museum/12610649/ |access-date=2022-12-24 |website=ABC7 Los Angeles |language=en}} The museum announced that they did not plan to taxidermy his body or put his remains on display.{{Cite news |last=Solis |first=Nathan |date=2022-12-23 |title=Dispute arises over P-22's remains as Indigenous people fight for Griffith Park burial |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-23/what-to-do-with-p-22s-remains-native-americans-call-for-a-ceremonial-burial-in-griffith-park |access-date=2022-12-24 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

After a necropsy, P-22 was transported from San Diego to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. A blessing ceremony was held by museum officials and descendants from Gabrieleño/Tongva, Tataviam, and Chumash, Gabrielino-Shoshone, Akimel O'otham, and Luiseño Tribes to "welcome P-22 back to his homeland".{{Cite web |last=Sternfield |first=Marc |date=December 24, 2022 |title=Tribal concerns complicate plans for P-22; Natural History Museum says the cougar will not go on display |url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/tribal-concerns-complicate-plans-for-p-22-natural-history-museum-says-the-cougar-will-not-be-put-on-display/ |access-date=2022-12-25 |website=KTLA |language=en-US}} His remains were stored in a freezer at the museum until he was buried on March 4 in the Santa Monica Mountains at an undisclosed location.{{Cite news |last=Dazio |first=Stefanie |date=2023-02-04 |title=Tribes, researchers debate final fate of P-22, famed LA puma |url=https://apnews.com/article/science-animals-los-angeles-california-da293aec7427c8d2b4f24762d87b2c01 |access-date=2023-02-12 |work=AP News |language=en}} The funeral was done in collaboration with local Indigenous partners, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Natural History Museum and the National Park Service.{{Cite news |last1=Arce |first1=Ernesto |last2=Ogilvie |first2=Jessica P. |date=2023-03-06 |title=P-22 Has Been Laid To Rest In The Santa Monica Mountains In A Private Ceremony |url=https://laist.com/news/p-22-has-been-laid-to-rest-in-the-santa-monica-mountains |access-date=2023-03-07 |work=LAist |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Sternfield |first=Marc |date=2023-03-06 |title=Famed mountain lion P-22 buried in tribal ceremony |url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/famed-mountain-lion-p-22-buried-in-tribal-ceremony/ |access-date=2023-03-06 |work=KTLA |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=March 6, 2023 |title=Famed mountain lion P-22 buried in the Santa Monica Mountains |url=https://abc7.com/p-22-buried-santa-monica-mountains-mountain-lion/12920690/ |access-date=2023-03-06 |work=ABC 7 Los Angeles}}

File:P-22 Day, 2017.jpg

Numerous members of the community and public figures released statements or condolences shortly following news of his death, including Governor of California Gavin Newsom, U.S. representative Adam Schiff, California State Representative Laura Friedman, and Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, among many others.{{cite press release | agency = Office of Governor of the State of California | title = Governor Newsom Statement on Mountain Lion P-22 | date = December 17, 2022| website= gov.ca.gov | url = https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/12/17/governor-newsom-statement-on-mountain-lion-p-22/ | location = Sacramento, California}}{{cite news | newspaper = The Washington Post | date = December 17, 2022 | last = McDaniel | first = Justine | title = Iconic L.A. mountain lion euthanized after 'extraordinary life' | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/12/17/mountain-lion-p-22-los-angeles/}}{{cite news | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | date = December 17, 2022 | title = Mourning 'L.A.'s coolest cat' and celebrating how P-22 changed our relationship with nature | last = Rainey | first = James | url = https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-17/p-22-fans-react-to-death-of-l-a-s-celebrity-puma |url-access = subscription}}{{cite web | title = This Moving Eulogy Of P-22, The Famous Big Cat That Stole Los Angeles's Heart, Is Making Us Tear Up | url = https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ikrd/p-22-mountain-lion-euthanized-tributes-los-angeles | website = Buzzfeed News | last = Dahir | first = Ikran | date = December 17, 2022}}{{cite press release | date = 17 December 2022 | url = https://schiff.house.gov/news/press-releases/congressman-schiff-on-the-passing-of-p-22 | title = Congressman Schiff on the Passing of P-22 | agency = Office of Congressman Adam Schiff CA 28 | access-date = 21 December 2022}} In his statement, Newsom said that "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." The Greek Theatre in Griffith Park was the site of a celebration of the life of P-22, presented by National Wildlife Federation on February 4, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Toohey |first=Grace |date=December 28, 2022 |title=Celebration of life for P-22 set for Feb. 4 in Griffith Park |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-28/celebration-of-life-for-p-22-set-for-february-in-griffith-park |access-date=2023-01-01 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

In 2016, Beth Pratt, a California regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation helped establish the #SaveLACougars campaign and held the first celebration of P-22 Day. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has an exhibit about him.{{cite web|title=P-22 |publisher=Natural History Museum |url=https://nhm.org/experience-nhm/exhibitions-natural-history-museum/p-22}}

Since first being spotted in Los Angeles, P-22 became the subject of multiple books, television programs, and works of art. More broadly, the image of P-22 has risen to use as a symbol representing Los Angeles culture and wildlife conservation both in California and more generally.{{Cite magazine |last=Kevin Andrew Dolak |date=2022-12-22 |title=I Am the Man Behind the Anonymous P-22 Twitter Account |url=https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/i-was-behind-the-anonymous-p22-twitter-account/ |access-date=2022-12-26 |magazine=Los Angeles Magazine |language=en-US}}{{cite web | last = Dickinson | first = Ian | title = World's largest wildlife crossing one step closer to becoming a reality | date = March 11, 2021 | url = https://www.earthtouchnews.com/conservation/conservation/worlds-largest-wildlife-crossing-one-step-closer-to-becoming-a-reality/ | website = Earth Touch News Network}}{{cite news | last = Schreiner | first = Casey | title = L.A.'s most famous mountain lion gets a party this weekend | date = October 20, 2022 | url = https://www.latimes.com/travel/newsletter/2022-10-20/the-wild-p-22-day-festival-griffith-park-mountain-lion-the-wild| url-access = subscription | newspaper = Los Angeles Times | access-date = October 28, 2022}} Articles commemorating P-22 before and after his death noted the challenges the mountain lion faced. The Los Angeles Times{{'}} obituary for P-22 called him "an aging bachelor who adjusted to a too-small space in the big city," and described his border-crossing journey to Griffith Park as something that many Los Angeles residents could empathize with.

The Los Angeles Public Library issued a limited-edition library card featuring P-22 in the National Geographic photo with the Hollywood Sign in the background.{{Cite news |last1=Von Quednow |first1=Cindy |last2=Riesmeyer |first2=Andy |date=February 23, 2023 |title=Los Angeles Public Library releases limited-edition library card honoring P-22 |url=https://ktla.com/news/local-news/los-angeles-public-library-releases-limited-edition-library-cards-honoring-p-22/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |work=KTLA |language=en-US}}

In February 2023, Southern California U.S. representatives Adam Schiff, Julia Brownley, and Ted Lieu wrote a letter to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee nominating P-22 to appear on a future stamp design.{{Cite news |last=Nelson |first=Laura J. |date=February 3, 2023 |title=A P-22 postage stamp? Schiff kicks off effort to honor L.A.'s celebrity puma |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-03/p22-mountain-lion-los-angeles-griffith-park-postage-stamp-usps |url-status=live |access-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203175521/https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-02-03/p22-mountain-lion-los-angeles-griffith-park-postage-stamp-usps |archive-date=February 3, 2023}}

P-22 became the poster puma for the promotion of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. In order to get to Griffith Park, P-22 had to cross two freeways, the 101 and the 405.{{Cite news |last=Cowan |first=Jill |date=2023-05-04 |title=The Enduring Power of a Big Cat in Star-Obsessed Los Angeles |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/04/us/los-angeles-mountain-lion-p22.html |access-date=2023-05-13 |issn=0362-4331}} While he survived his crossings, many pumas do not. The wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway was proposed in 2015. The funds were raised, and the project broke ground in April 2022.{{Cite magazine |last=Guidi |first=Ruxandra |date=May 1, 2022 |title=The lion king of Los Angeles |url=https://www.hcn.org/issues/54.5/wildlife-the-lion-king-of-los-angeles |access-date=May 2, 2022 |magazine=High Country News |language=en-us}}{{cite web |url=https://annenberg.org/initiatives/wallis-annenberg-wildlife-crossing/ |title=Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing |date=July 10, 2023 |publisher= Annenberg Foundation}}

Multiple murals around the city prominently feature P-22.

P-22's highway journey was parodied in an easter egg in season 4 episode 6 of the television show Bojack Horseman.{{cite episode | url = https://www.netflix.com/watch/80125585?trackId=14277281 | network = Netflix | title = S4E6: Stupid Piece of Sh*t | series = Bojack Horseman | season = 4}}{{cite web | title = Deep Los Angeles Easter Egg | url = https://www.reddit.com/r/BoJackHorseman/comments/72g7jr/deep_los_angeles_easter_egg/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221219203324/https://www.reddit.com/r/BoJackHorseman/comments/72g7jr/deep_los_angeles_easter_egg/ | archive-date = 19 December 2022 | website = Reddit | date = September 25, 2017 | url-status = live}}
{{cite web | title = Bojack Horseman easter eggs | url = https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/72f2zw/bojack_horseman_easter_eggs/ | website = Reddit | date = September 25, 2017 | archive-date = 19 December 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221219203450/https://www.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/72f2zw/bojack_horseman_easter_eggs/ | url-status = live}} He was also featured in a clue on the game show Jeopardy! in 2022.{{cite web | title = This type of wild cat with many names has a superstar in P-22 prowling the canyons of the L.A. area for years | website = Jeopardy Archive | url = https://jeopardyarchive.com/this-type-of-wild-cat-with-many-names-has-a-superstar-in-p-22-prowling-the-canyons-of-the-la-area-for-years | date = 27 September 2022 | access-date = 21 December 2022}} P-22 was mentioned in the Hulu original series, This Fool. When the main character Julio Lopez is taken for an unwanted hiking trip by his ex-girlfriend Maggie, he worries that they will be devoured by P-22. The mountain lion later appears instead to menace a happy couple who has just gotten engaged.{{Cite web|url=https://tvshowtranscripts.ourboard.org/viewtopic.php?f=1448&t=55505|title=This Fool - Sh*t or Get Off the Pot Transcript|publisher=TV Show Transcript|accessdate=March 12, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://secretlosangeles.com/p-22-la-mountain-lion/|title=LA's Beloved Mountain Lion, P-22, Has Been Euthanized|first=Sophie|last=Len|date=December 17, 2022|accessdate=March 12, 2023|publisher=Secret Los Angeles}} A memorial dedication was included at the end of the season 2 premiere episode The Rooster.{{Cite web |last=McCarthy |first=Sean L. |date=2023-07-28 |title=Stream It Or Skip It: 'This Fool' Season 2 On Hulu, Where It's Always Sunny And Foolish In South Central L.A. |url=https://decider.com/2023/07/28/this-fool-season-2-hulu-review/ |access-date=2023-08-01 |website=Decider}}

Playwright Amy Raasch portrays P-22 in her recurring one-woman stage production The Animal Monologues.{{cite web | last = Martin | first = Dana | date = 6 November 2018 | url = https://stageraw.com/2018/11/06/the-animal-monologues-theater-review/ | website = Stage Raw | title = Reviews: The Animal Monologues}}{{cite web | author = Falling James | website = LA Weekly | title = Amy Raasch Unleashes Her Inner Beast in The Animal Monologues | date = 25 February 2019 | url = https://www.laweekly.com/amy-raasch-unleashes-her-inner-beast-in-the-animal-monologues/}}

• Nick Cave indirectly references P-22 in "Hollywood", the closing track of his 2019 album Ghosteen.{{Cite newsletter |last=Cave |first=Nick |date=2023-02-08 |title=In light of his death, do you have any lines you'd like to share about this rare, wild creature? |url=https://www.theredhandfiles.com/why-did-p-22-become-the-basis/ |access-date=2023-11-13 |work=The Red Hand Files |language=en-AU |issue=221}}

• Mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains
• Cougar–human interactions
• List of wild animals from Los Angeles

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{{Reflist}}

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• [https://friendsofgriffithpark.org/p-22/ P-22's Decade in Griffith Park] – Friends of Griffith Park
• {{cite web | last = Ordeñana | first = Miguel | title = The Sound of Our Griffith Park Mountain Lion: P-22 and the Mysteries of Puma Communication | website = Los Angeles County Natural History Museum | url = https://nhm.org/stories/sound-our-griffith-park-mountain-lion-p-22-and-mysteries-puma-communication}}
• {{cite magazine | magazine = The New Yorker | title = L.A.'s Loneliest Lion | url = https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/ballad-p22-mountain-lion-los-angeles | last = Nijhuis | first = Michelle | date = April 20, 2015 | access-date = December 13, 2022}}

{{Los Angeles}}

Category:21st-century animal births

Category:2022 animal deaths

Category:Animal deaths by euthanasia

Category:Environment of Greater Los Angeles

Category:Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands

Category:Griffith Park

Category:Individual felines

Category:Individual wild animals

Category:Lions in art

Category:Cougar

Category:Santa Monica Mountains

Category:Individual animals in the United States