He’s the poster boy for efforts to study mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains, and was the face of a $90 million plus campaign to build a wildlife crossing over Highway 101.
P-22 has become a celebrity of sorts, living in Griffith Park, and appearing in an iconic photo with the Hollywood sign in the background.
The National Wildlife Federation used his images on T-shirts, and other marketing efforts to raise money for the project in Agoura Hills to build what will be the world’s largest wildlife crossing. He wears a tracking collar, and is part of an ongoing study of mountain lions.
But, biologists are concerned about the big cat’s behavior. Recently, he’s been seen in a number of neighborhoods, and they think he killed a leashed dog last month.
State Fish And Wildlife, and National Park Service biologists plan to catch P-22, and bring him in for a health evaluation. They are concerned that the stress of living in an island of wilderness surrounded by development may be catching up with him, and affecting his behavior.
They say they want to figure out what’s best for P-22, while also protecting people in surrounding neighborhoods.
