Hollywood’s mysterious resident lion who was put to death
It was late at night in Los Angeles, and artist Cory Mattei had just finished a couple of pints of wine when he heard a strange noise outside his home.
At first she thought her brother’s Labrador retriever (a breed of dog) had been left outside, so she went to get him inside.
It was not a pleasant experience.
“He was a lion,” said Miss Matey.
And he was no ordinary mountain lion, but the most famous lion in Hollywood and the world.
His name is P-22 and the March incident left an indelible mark on him, said Miz Matti.
Her green eyes looked directly at him. He turned back and looked at her. They quickly made a video of it before hiding inside. He stayed there until morning and then quietly left through the lattice fence.
He said: ‘He touched my soul, he could have destroyed me, but he didn’t.’ He quickly became my spirit animal and went from zero to one hundred (in terms of popularity) in no time.”
Miz Mattei isn’t the first person in Los Angeles to be charmed by the P-22. But now the residents cannot have such a magical encounter with this mysterious animal.
P-22 fans were heartbroken on Saturday when the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced that the legendary animal had been euthanized due to old age and serious health issues. Officials described it as ‘the most difficult but compassionate choice’.
It has held the city by storm since 2012, when it somehow managed to cross two deadly highways and the 4,200-acre Mount Griffiths, located in the heart of one of the world’s largest concrete jungles. The park became habitable.
Since then his charisma and his interesting choice to reside in the city have made him a local folk hero.
His plight, stranded on an inhabited island with no chance of finding a mate, made him the face of a movement to protect the endangered species.
While he may no longer be seen roaming the heart of Los Angeles, at least a decade-long tenure has cemented his status as a Hollywood star as much as on the big screen.
A star is born The Griffith Park range is modest compared to the average range of a mountain lion of 150 square miles. Yet like many city dwellers, the P-22 was willing to sacrifice spaciousness for a prime location.
It was first discovered in February 2012, when biologist Miguel Ordinana spotted it while checking nocturnal footage from a trap camera in the park.
“Suddenly this huge puma animal appeared on my computer screen,” Mr Ordinana recalled.
At first he couldn’t believe his eyes, but later photos confirmed that the park had an interesting new resident.
By August, the first profile of the P-22 appeared in the LA Times.
This large animal captured the imagination of renowned nature photographer Steve Winter. They set up a trap camera under the Hollywood signboard and waited for a year before finally capturing the lion in its frame with its majestic gait.
The photo was published in National Geographic and thus a star was born.
Mr Winter said: ‘It gave people hope that they were living in this big urban area, and they had a park they could walk in which was actually home to a wild animal like the California cougar. He became a celebrity himself in a city full of celebrities.
A decade of P-22 escapes began. It spooked a repairman in 2015 when it hid under a house in Los Feliz.
He was occasionally seen strolling past a doorbell and in front of the park’s cameras.
He looked majestic, even cute, when he ate his food by hunting deer.
The city loved him so much that people forgave him when he (probably) killed a koala at the LA Zoo. Los Angeles has declared October 22 as ‘P-22 Day’.
But he was also symbolic of a very dark reality of California mountain lions.
He also highlighted that American wolves, raccoons, and other small animals are poisoned by local hunting rats that are ubiquitous around Los Angeles.
In 2014, he was seen sick on camera traps and officials took him for treatment.
A mug shot of P-22, showing him in a defeated and distraught state, went viral. But the cause of his illness was no joke.
He was found covered in rat poison and his skin was itchy. This is the situation in which most mountain lions die.
California’s freeways have reduced the habitat of this species.
Although there are 6,000 mountain lions living in California, researchers believe that the population in the Santa Monica Mountains, where P-22 may have been born, could disappear within 50 years as the giant animal’s reproduction declines and its genetics change. The pool has weakened.
Their journey to new homes is also potentially fatal. In September, a pregnant mountain lion was killed when it tried to cross the Malibu Highway. It divides a significant portion of their habitat. Four of her newborn babies were found with traces of rat poison.
Once Mr. Ordinana recorded a video of P-22 making noises for intercourse. His call would never be answered because the highways and development around Griffith Park ensured that he was kept away from any potential lionesses and would not produce offspring.
The era of the lion king is over His presence among the humans who loved him led to his downfall.
At the age of 12, he started acting strangely in the urban areas around the park. It recently killed a small breed dog, one of Los Angeles’ least-threatened but highly protected breeds. The final blow came when he attacked a resident who was walking his dog.
When officials cornered him in a backyard on Dec. 12, he was emaciated, covered in scabs and had an injury to one eye that may have been an eye injury, said Jeff Skitch of the National Park Service. But it came from a collision with a car.
Mr. Jeff is a biologist and has spent more time with the P-22 than anyone else. At a press conference the next day, it was revealed that it was unlikely to be released back into the wild.
On December 17, wildlife officials announced that veterinarians had recommended euthanasia after a thorough health check revealed kidney disease, heart disease and other serious ailments.
Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation was with P-22 in its final moments. He said: ‘I told him I’m so sorry we didn’t make the world a safer place for you.’
However tragic his end, his loyal fans say his legacy lives on.
Ms Matei said: ‘He survived here against all odds.’
She has been involved in a major P-22 painting and conservation campaign.
“A lot of people can relate to it,” she says. It’s not easy, LA chews you up and spits you out but he endured it all.’
