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A mountain lion named P-22, who attained movie star standing after taking on residence in Los Angeles’s Griffith Park, lately needed to be euthanized after sustaining accidents per being hit by a automobile.
Mountain Lions
The mountain lion is a wild cat native to the Americas. The species goes by a number of different names, together with puma and cougar, and is the second-largest member of the cat household present in North America (the most important is the Jaguar, which is exceedingly uncommon north of Mexico).
Arrival at Griffith Park
Mountain lions are normally present in unpopulated areas removed from human habitation. P-22’s arrival at Griffith Park in 2012 subsequently brought about a lot pleasure amongst Californian wildlife lovers, and led to the cat attaining movie star standing, each in L.A. and additional afield.
Griffith Park is known for being the placement of each the long-lasting Hollywood signal and the Griffith Observatory (Wikipedia). Regardless of being one in every of North America’s largest city parks, its 4,310 acres (1,740 ha) represents a tiny territory for an grownup male mountain lion.
As a result of park’s proximity to a number of freeways, P-22 was unlikely ever to have discovered a mate. Previous to P-22’s arrival, the busy roads surrounding the park had been answerable for the deaths of numerous different mountain lions.
A part of P-22’s legacy is the deliberate development of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing (Wikipedia), an overpass that may span the ten lanes of the US 101 freeway. P-22 turned a figurehead for the undertaking, which is deliberate to be accomplished in fall 2024. (supply)
Notoriety
P-22 made the headlines a number of occasions throughout his life, attaining specific notoriety for the doubtless killing of a koala in Los Angeles Zoo. (In P-22’s protection, regardless of his being sighted within the zoo on the time, there isn’t a footage of the particular assault.)
The lasting picture of P-22 strolling in entrance of the Hollywood signal was taken by Nationwide Geographic photographer Steve Winter as a part of a 15-month undertaking to {photograph} the cat.
Loss of life Of P-22
Though P-22’s actual age is unknown, it’s thought that he was 12 on the time of his loss of life. That is very outdated for a wild mountain lion, and will clarify the cat’s more and more erratic habits in the previous couple of weeks of his life
P-22 was seen a number of occasions within the neighborhoods of Los Feliz and Silver Lake within the month previous his loss of life, and was answerable for a number of assaults on pet canine, together with the killing of a Chihuahua on a leash.
The assaults, and a report of a mountain lion having been struck by a automobile on the 11th December, led to officers within the Division of Fish and Wildlife making the choice to seize P-22 for a well being test.
P-22 had lengthy been fitted with a radio transmitter round his neck, and the cat was situated in a non-public residence in Los Feliz on Monday 12th Dec. As soon as tranquilized by dart, P-22 was taken first to Los Angeles Zoo, the place his situation was assessed by vets, after which to the San Diego Wildlife Alliance.
Though P-22’s situation was first introduced as being steady, his well being started to deteriorate. Additional examination revealed quite a few critical well being issues, relating each to outdated age and to the possible automobile strike.
Officers determined that the kindest final result can be to euthanize P-22. The process was carried out on 17th December, thereby ending P-22’s reign as apex predator of the Hollywood Hills, however exhibiting the world that even giant predators similar to mountain lions can dwell in (relative) concord alongside people.
Additional Studying
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