He was known as the "Brad Pitt" of mountain lions after being photographed in Griffith Park, in front of the Hollywood sign.
But, P-22 had to be euthanized Saturday morning as a result of a combination of injuries from being hit by a vehicle, and liver and heart issues.
The mountain lion was born in the Santa Monica Mountains, but crossed multiple highways to take up residency in Griffith Park. He was part of an ongoing National Park Service research project trying to help us understand more about the lives of the big cats, by following their movement with GPS tracking collars,
"He'll (P-22) will be a part of our studies forever," said Seth Riley, who's a Wildlife Ecologist with the National Park Service. Riley has been doing research on the big cats for two decades.
P-22 was captured last week, after biologists became concerned about his behavior. He killed a dog which was being walked, and was showing up regularly in neighbors.
P-22 was first taken to the Los Angeles Zoo, and then the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for tests and evaluations. He was euthanized Saturday, after biologists and State Fish and Wildlife officials agreed the mountain lion had too many serious health issues to recover.
P-22 because the poster boy for mountain lions in Southern California, and the face of a $90 million dollar plus campaign to build what will be the world's largest wildlife crossing over Highway 101 in the Conejo Valley.
