Famed LA cougar P-22 euthanized following health problems

LOS ANGELES — P-22, the celebrated mountain lion that took up residence in the middle of Los Angeles and became a symbol of urban pressures on wildlife, was euthanized Saturday after dangerous changes in his behavior led to examinations that revealed worsening health and injuries likely caused by a car. it’s been an incredibly difficult several days.” The animal became the face of the campaign to build a wildlife crossing over a Los Angeles-area freeway to give mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, deer and other animals a safe path between the nearby Santa Monica Mountains and wildlands to the north. In 2017, the cougar became the star of a permanent exhibit at the Natural History Museum called “The Story of P-22, LA’s Most Famous Feline” that documents the lion’s life and times in Southern California. “Even in his death, P-22 continues to inspire LA to embrace urban wildlife conservation and the nature that surrounds us,” said Miguel Ordeñana, the museum’s Senior Manager of Community Science. Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation, said she hopes P-22’s life and death will inspire the construction of more wildlife crossings in California and across the nation.