(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
RIP world famous mountain lion P-22, you gave us so much more than we gave you [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags']
Date: 2022-12-17
P-22 will never again thrill Angelenos by casually strolling through a Los Angeles neighborhood for a night out before returning to his Griffin Park home territory under the Hollywood sign. His forays into human-occupied territory recently become less glamorous and more threatening beginning in early November when he attacked and killed a leashed chihuahua being walked by someone in the Hollywood Hills. Other similar encounters, including minor attacks on the humans walking dogs, over the past month resulted in wildlife biologists capturing P-22 for assessment on Dec 12. His behavior was anomalous, a sign of ill health perhaps, or old age. P-22, believed to be about 12 years old, a long life for a mountain lion, has been collared and tracked by US Fish and Wildlife Service since 2012.
A medical examination revealed health problem and injuries from a vehicle accident. P-22 was severely underweight (90 lbs, about 25 lbs below normal), had a parasitic skin infection likely transmitted from domestic cats, kidney failure, and other significant problems. He was treated and held at a vet hospital while an expert wildlife health team assessed his condition and decided that euthanasia was the most humane option.
x We join our partners, friends, and community members here in Los Angeles, and around the world, in remembering mountain lion P-22:
https://t.co/XOC1XCbico
Goodbye, P-22. Your scientific legacy will live on.
Photo by Steve Winter pic.twitter.com/4ZfISqgjF3 — Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) December 17, 2022
This mountain lion was world famous thanks to Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation. Pratt labelled him the Brad Pitt of mountain lions, using his life situation and likeness to fuel a funding campaign for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the world’s largest spanning a 12-lane Los Angeles freeway.
In her eulogy, Pratt pointed out a problem faced by many wildlife species: “P-22 never fully got to be a mountain lion. His whole life, he suffered the consequences of trying to survive in unconnected space, right to the end when being hit by a car led to his tragic end. He showed people around the world that we need to ensure our roads, highways, and communities are better and safer when people and wildlife can freely travel to find food, shelter, and families.”
“We will all be grappling with the loss of P-22 for some time, trying to make sense of a Los Angeles without this magnificent wild creature. I loved P-22 and hold a deep respect for his intrepid spirit, charm, and just plain chutzpah. We may never see another mountain lion stroll down Sunset Boulevard or surprise customers outside the Los Feliz Trader Joe’s. But perhaps that doesn’t matter — what matters is P-22 showed us it’s possible. “He changed us. He changed the way we look at LA. And his influencer status extended around the world, as he inspired millions of people to see wildlife as their neighbors. He made us more human, made us connect more to that wild place in ourselves. We are part of nature and he reminded us of that. Even in the city that gave us Carmeggedon, where we thought wildness had been banished a long time ago, P-22 reminded us it’s still here. “His legacy to us, and to his kind will never fade. He ensured a future for the entire population of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains by inspiring us to build the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which broke ground this spring.
x The saddest part of this is that he never had a mate. He lived in a 9 sq mile area surrounded by a concrete ant farm. His genetics are no longer part of his species biodiversity. RIP P-22. You will be missed. 🥺
https://t.co/Y46nlUXVWK — altNOAA (@altNOAA) December 17, 2022
California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that “Mountain Lion P-22 Compassionately Euthanized Following Complete Health Evaluation Results.”
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/17/2142456/-RIP-world-famous-mountain-lion-P-22-you-gave-us-so-much-more-than-we-gave-you
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
