For at least a decade, a mountain lion P-22 had become the famous symbol of California’s threatened puma population and the face of a campaign to build a wildlife crossing over the Los Angeles freeway which would give wildlife a safe place to enter and roam into the nearby Santa Monica Mountains.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, P22 was “compassionately euthanized” on Saturday morning due to the severe injuries he suffered after having been hit by a vehicle as well as long term health issues discovered during his physical examination.
The results of these tests and screenings showed significant trauma to the mountain lion’s head, right eye and internal organs, confirming the suspicion of recent injury, such as a vehicle strike. The trauma to his internal organs would require invasive surgical repair.
CDFW
P22 had been captured at the beginning of the week after he killed a leashed dog in the residential area of Hollywood Hills. The cougar wore a GPS tracking collar as part of a National Park Service study and was frequently spotted strolling near Griffith Park, a wooded park and picnic area near Los Angeles.
P-22 was hit with a tranquilizer dart in the Los Feliz neighborhood.
This has been a difficult journey for all of us. None more so than the dedicated staff who have been caring for him over this week, the biologists who have studied his incredible life, and the many compassionate individuals who have been his neighbors and followed his travails.
Mountain lion P-22 has had an extraordinary life and captured the hearts of the people of Los Angeles and beyond. The most difficult, but compassionate choice was to respectfully minimize his suffering and stress by humanely ending his journey.
CDFW
The cougar was thought to be about 12-years-old and had been reported to have attacked at least three dogs in the last month as well as several near miss encounters with people in the area of Los Feliz and Silver Lake.
Read previous coverage of P22 here.
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p22 people who took over your territory should be a shame of there selfs