A new mountain lion was spotted on the western edge of Griffith Park — the same location where the celebrity cougar P-22 was once photographed prowling in the darkness with the iconic Hollywood sign looming behind him.
Screenshot from Vladimir Polumiskov’s video on X, formerly known as Twitter
A new mountain lion may have moved into the same iconic California park where a famous cougar lived for a decade, photo and video show.
The newcomer was spotted on the western edge of Griffith Park — the same location where celebrity cougar P-22 was once photographed prowling in the darkness with the iconic Hollywood sign looming behind him.
The beloved mountain lion P-22 called the park in Los Angeles home for about 10 years, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife captured and euthanized P-22 in December 2022 after the revered mountain lion was hit by a car, and a health evaluation indicated the aging cougar was injured and in poor health, McClatchy News previously reported.
His situation highlighted the consequences of cutting wild animals off from their natural habitats and renewed the push to implement solutions such as wildlife crossings over highways, McClatchy News reported.
Griffith Park is nestled in the heart of Los Angeles, about a 30-mile drive east of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The National Park Service manages the area and its wildlife, including mountain lions, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Between 3,200 and 4,500 mountain lions are estimated to live in California, with about a dozen of them in the Santa Monica Mountains, the outlet reported. Low genetic diversity puts them at risk for extinction.
While a wildlife corridor going up over a 10-lane stretch of the 101 Freeway at Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills is “critical” to the species’ survival, Griffith Park also requires safe routes for its wildlife as well, Beth Pratt, regional director for the National Wildlife Federation, told the outlet.
And while the National Park Service has not yet confirmed the sighting of the new mountain lion, wildlife advocates say it’s an exciting new chapter — especially given what the puma could be called if the agency includes it in its decades-long mountain lion study.
“If this cat is confirmed and becomes part of the study, the National Park Service is at the point in their numbering system that he could be named P-122!” Pratt said on X, previously known as Twitter.
Pratt told the Los Angeles Times that while she’s “a scientist at heart,” she couldn’t help but feel “there is something almost mystical” about the numerical coincidence.
Pratt shared a photo and video clip captured by a resident who lives at the western edge of the park one night as he was parking his car, the Los AngelesTimes reported.
She also warned others to be careful around the potentially skittish and unpredictable predator.
“Please give the cat space if you see him — we are trying to avoid for now people trying to photograph him — lights and sounds from cameras could impact this cat’s behavior as we don’t know if he is as comfortable in front of the cameras as P-22,” she said. “And even P-22 would avoid cameras as well. If you do see him, please let us know as this will help the researchers. He is not collared.”
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area biologists are also investigating the sighting, Pratt said.
“Very exciting to contemplate another mountain lion may be calling Griffith Park home!” she said. “Long live P-22!”
Mountain lion enthusiasts matched Pratt’s joy over the sighting in comments on the post.
“A NEW KING TAKES THE THRONE!” someone said, referring to the cougar’s predecessor, P-22.
“Just reading that there is another mountain lion in GP has me getting all choked up and emotional,” another person said. “Thinking about P-22, the crossings making such progress …. P-22 Wow!”
Brooke Baitinger
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