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California’s celebrity mountain lion P-22 was euthanized Saturday morning, ending the feline’s decades-long reign over Los Angeles, after he was found with severe health problems, officials said.
P-22, thought to be about 12 years old, was the face of an international effort to save California’s threatened puma population and helped draw support for the world’s biggest wildlife bridge, a $90 million project expected to be finished in 2025. The beloved cat, who made a home in Griffith Park near the famed Hollywood Sign, also became a mascot of sorts for the city in a place known for its glitz and glam.
After a comprehensive medical evaluation, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife found that the beloved mountain lion “had several severe injuries and chronic health problems,” according to a Saturday statement. He was “compassionately euthanized” Saturday morning, officials said.
He had “significant trauma” to his head, right eye and internal organs, confirming worries that he’d suffered a recent injury, perhaps the result of being hit by a car. The medical team at San Diego Zoo Safari Park said the damage to his internal organs would require invasive surgical repair.
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Officials fight back tears announcing P-22’s death
The team also determined P-22 was suffering from pre-existing illnesses, including irreversible kidney disease, chronic weight loss, an extensive parasitic skin infection over his entire body and arthritis.
Left with “no hope for a positive outcome,” authorities chose to compassionately euthanize P-22, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife said.
“Mountain lion P-22 has had an extraordinary life and captured the hearts of the people of Los Angeles and beyond,” the statement said. “The most difficult, but compassionate choice was to respectfully minimize his suffering and stress by humanely ending his journey.”
CDFW Director Chuck Bonham fought back tears at a Saturday news conference announcing the cougar’s death.
“This really hurts,” he said. “…It’s been an incredibly difficult several days.”
The agency announced Thursday plans to capture P-22 for a health evaluation. On Monday, they took him for an evaluation.
The evaluation included a physical exam, organ function tests, infectious disease screening, and CT scans of the skull, chest and abdomen.
P-22, who roamed near the Hollywood sign, became LA mascot
P-22 lived peacefully with his human neighbors in the heart of Los Angeles for more than a decade. Included in his stomping grounds were Griffith Park, home of the Hollywood sign, and he occasionally appeared on Angelenos’ video doorbell cameras, becoming a coveted celebrity sighting.
He was launched into stardom, becoming LA’s unofficial mascot, in 2013 when a National Geographic photographer captured a famous image of him prowling with the Hollywood sign behind him. Since then, he’s spawned a Facebook page with over 20,000 followers, murals on city walls, and a festival held in his name every October.
His death was mourned by conservationists and elected officials.
“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,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement after P-22’s death. “The iconic mountain lion’s incredible journey helped inspire a new era of conserving and reconnecting nature.”
P-22 also became the poster cat for a conservation campaign called “Save LA Cougars.” Beth Pratt, who leads the campaign and got a tattoo of P-22 on her arm in 2014, told USA TODAY earlier this week that the cougar is “our royalty.”
“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.
“He has ensured a future for all of his mountain lion relatives in the area.” she added.
P-22 made news recently for attacking small dogs, a problem that often arises when humans expand into animals’ habitats. Wildlife officials have also said the attacks were likely a sign P-22 was in distress.
In the statement, the agency emphasized that P-22’s death is not his fault nor that of the driver who may have hit him.
“Rather, it is an eventuality that arises from habitat loss and fragmentation, and it underscores the need for thoughtful construction of wildlife crossings and well-planned spaces that provide wild animals room to roam,” according to the statement.
Contributing: Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY; Associaited Press
Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.
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