World-Famous California Mountain Lion P-22 will be Long Mourned
Like so many others, I followed the life of P-22, the mountain lion living for 10 years in the relative wilderness of Griffith Park within one of America’s largest cities, Los Angeles. And at the end of last year, I anxiously awaited positive news on his health after reports of unusual behavior – he’d knocked off a pet dog and attacked another – that called for his capture and evaluation.
The 12-year-old puma had overcome many obstacles to have survived so many years in the six and one-half square miles of Griffith Park that offered enough habitat and hunting ground to sustain him. While mountain lions are adaptable to a variety of habitats, they generally need somewhere from 30 to 125 square miles of space to range (females on the lower end; males need more space), so P-22’s adaptation to considerably smaller space in and of itself was remarkable. The now world-famous cat survived crossing some of the busiest freeways in the United States to end up in the park, so maybe he knew he’d best stay put.
P-22 also survived the paparazzi when he was discovered hanging out under a Los Feliz home, mostly thanks to the park biologists and P-22 advocates who discouraged the looky-loos. As well, he survived mange – likely acquired after eating an animal that had eaten another animal that had been poisoned – after being sedated and treated by National Park Service scientists. And he didn’t get bad press after allegedly nabbing a Koala bear one night in the Los Angeles Zoo.
Regular reporting on the comings and goings of P-22 made him a media star. He became the ambassador for the importance of connectivity across spaces, so animals could move – migrate – and for a plan to build a wildlife crossing over Southern California’s busy 101 Freeway at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills. So successful as ambassador, over several years, the plan has come to fruition, with an ever-escalating price tag, now at $90 million.
The solitary big cat had become a beloved icon of fortitude and survival in the Big City. I hoped P-22 could be treated for whatever might be ailing him. If he needed “greener pastures,” I also hoped he could be relocated to, perhaps, The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colo., to live out his last years. But P-22’s luck ran out in December. Once captured and examined, it was determined that he’d likely been struck by a vehicle and that euthanasia was the best option to end his suffering.
Even given P-22’s street smarts, it’s not surprising that a vehicular hit is what ended his life. In today’s California with a human population of nearly 40 million, about 70 mountain lions a year are killed on the state’s highways. The exact number of mountain lions living in California is unknown, but is estimated to be 3,100.
Consider: 3,100 cougars vs. 40,000,000 humans, California
30,000* cougars vs. 330,000,000 humans, United States.
*Per Mountain Lion Foundation estimate (2021).
Other estimates range between 20,000 and 40,000.
Hindsight is, of course, 20/20, but maybe a relocation of P-22 to Keenesburg a few years ago might have been an idea worthy of consideration. While P-22 beat the odds for a long time, with some intervention and a lot of community goodwill, the odds probably never were in his favor. But we’re told the “science” indicates not to intervene with wildlife. When wildfires (many the result of Man) wipe out large swathes of habitat, we’re told not to leave food or water for the animals who survive. And when a wild animal is essentially trapped in less than seven square miles, we’re told it’s best to leave him be – that he can survive the wild/urban interface. “Life finds a way,” as the character Dr. Ian Malcolm (actor Jeff Goldblum) says in 1993’s “Jurassic Park.”
While P-22 became a symbol of resilience, and his story informed and educated many about wildlife issues, laying the cornerstone for the nearly $100 million (I’m guessing, by the time all is said and done) crossing, there’s more to his story. Success was not his in being able to mate. No females visited the park, and none were brought in. Was P-22’s genetic material collected at any point? I don’t know. Part of a National Park Service study, P-22 had been collared and monitored. How or if we’re collecting and saving the genetic diversity of animals whose numbers are low would seem to be an important question.
The 101 wildlife crossing is an effort – a huge, highly commendable effort – to mitigate for our decades-long paucity of forethought on how our development of roads, housing, commercial properties, schools and infrastructure has impacted all other living things. Through ignorance or disregard, we have failed to be the best stewards we can be. So a big part of P-22’s story that’s missing is in the numbers.
There is no end in sight to population growth and development in California and in the country. Many of those most vocal about saving America’s lion – and other species – are also the ones silent on the biggest threat to all wildlife – ever-more people who require ever-more roads, housing, businesses and infrastructure.
America is in a harrowing situation now. Under two years of Joe Biden rule, and virtually open borders, more than 5 million people from countries around the world have effectively been an invasion force. If this influx continues through Biden’s reign, the U.S. is likely to see 10 million people added to the country who have entered illegally, in addition to several more million who come in via legal means. That’s not good for humans or all other life forms. It’s completely unsustainable growth.
Fortunately, P-22 is not the last of his kind, but the mountain lion population in the U.S. is, as noted, small. As well, cougars live only in the Western half of the U.S., having previously been forced to retreat to other areas or wiped out by … yes, humans. Other species have disappeared from the U.S., including the ivory-billed woodpecker and the once abundant passenger pigeon, among others.
Let’s hope America’s lion fares better. Hopefully, P-22 has contributed to much greater awareness of why all species matter.
RIP P-22.
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A celebration of P-22’s life & legacy is being held today (Sat., 4 Feb.).
It will be livestreamed 11:30am to 2:30pm PST at
https://savelacougars.org/p-22-celebration-of-life.
And on Wed., 22 Feb.
Love Letters to L.A.’s Favorite Cat
Maria Fotopoulos writes about the connection between overpopulation and biodiversity loss, and from time to time other topics that confound her. On FB @BetheChangeforAnimals.