LOS ANGELES (AP) — The famous Hollywood roaming mountain lion known as P-22 is drastically underweight and was likely hit and injured by a car, wildlife experts who conducted a health survey on the big cat said Tuesday.
The male cougar, whose killing of a leashed dog has raised concerns about his behavior, is unlikely to be released back into the wild and could be sent to an animal shelter or euthanized depending on his health, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said. said.
“No one takes a decision like that lightly,” spokesman Jordan Traverso said during a video conference. He added that the agency “understands the importance of this animal to the community and California” and “we recognize its grief.”
P-22 was captured and sedated Monday in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood near his usual residence of Griffith Park, an island of wilderness and picnic areas in the middle of Los Angeles’ urban sprawl.
State and federal conservationists announced last week they were concerned the aging cat “may be showing signs of distress,” due in part to aging, noting that the animal should be studied to determine what steps to take.
Tuesday’s investigation found the cat had eye injuries, likely sustained from being hit by a car, and more tests would be conducted to determine if the animal suffered additional head trauma, said Deana Clifford, the senior wildlife veterinarian at the Department.
A computerized tomography scan is scheduled for later this week to look for other possible chronic health problems that may have caused his decline, Clifford said.
P-22 was first captured in 2012 and fitted with a GPS tracking collar as part of a National Park Service study. The cougar is regularly caught on security cameras strolling through residential areas near Griffith Park.
P-22 is believed to be about 12 years old, making it the oldest Southern California cougar currently being studied. Most mountain lions live about ten years.
“This is an old cat and old cats get old cat diseases,” Clifford said. “Anyone of us who’s had cats in our house has seen this.”
“We’re working on all of these issues and we’ll take all the findings into account to try and make the best possible decision for the cat,” she said.
P-22 usually hunts deer and coyotes, but in November the National Park Service confirmed that the cougar had attacked and killed a Chihuahua mix wandering the narrow streets of the Hollywood Hills.
The cougar is also suspected of attacking another chihuahua in the Silver Lake neighborhood this month.
P-22 has lived in Griffith Park for much of his life, crossing two major highways to get there. He was the face of the campaign to build a wildlife crossing over a highway in the Los Angeles area to give big cats, coyotes, deer and other wildlife a safe path to the nearby Santa Monica Mountains, where they have room to roam.
This year, ground was broken on the bridge, which will stretch 200 feet (about 60 meters) over US 101. Construction is expected to be completed in early 2025.
