Good-bye P-22 - LA's mountain lion compassionately euthanized
December 17, 2022 1:42 PM Subscribe
P-22 was a mountain lion who unknowingly changed the world. A eulogy for P-22, who was discovered to have a number of health ailments, the most serious being that he appears to have been hit by a car. He was an integral part of the LA landscape, and brought attention to environmental factors that are hostile to wildlife and animal life in an expanding urban landscape. P-22 was the inspiration behind the funding drive for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the first bridge "in the California highway system designed specifically for fostering wildlife connectivity".
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posted by supermedusa at 1:50 PM on December 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by supermedusa at 1:50 PM on December 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Welp, damn.
And I just listened to this 99% Invisible episode about him.
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posted by Horkus at 1:50 PM on December 17, 2022
And I just listened to this 99% Invisible episode about him.
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posted by Horkus at 1:50 PM on December 17, 2022
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posted by hydropsyche at 2:25 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by hydropsyche at 2:25 PM on December 17, 2022
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posted by Silverstone at 2:41 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by Silverstone at 2:41 PM on December 17, 2022
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posted by zengargoyle at 3:18 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by zengargoyle at 3:18 PM on December 17, 2022
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posted by General Malaise at 4:19 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by General Malaise at 4:19 PM on December 17, 2022
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posted by johnxlibris at 4:27 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by johnxlibris at 4:27 PM on December 17, 2022
FYI, apparently there is a "Celebration of Life" event in the works for P-22. Keep an eye on this page if you're in LA.
posted by toastyk at 5:00 PM on December 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by toastyk at 5:00 PM on December 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by dogstoevski at 5:01 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by dogstoevski at 5:01 PM on December 17, 2022
It's so, so sad. I live quite near Griffith Park, though never saw him (of course). I appreciated what the LA Times mentioned in his obit: "P-22’s discovery in Griffith Park led to one of the most unusual elements of his life: the city taking his side, instead of demanding that he be removed. Big cats prowl large swaths of the United States, but few cities would allow a cougar to live in their midst, let alone stay for a decade."
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posted by BlahLaLa at 5:09 PM on December 17, 2022 [6 favorites]
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posted by BlahLaLa at 5:09 PM on December 17, 2022 [6 favorites]
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He had everything you need to be a star in this town: good looks, a good backstory, and knowing how and when to make an entrance.
From the LA Times:
He had everything you need to be a star in this town: good looks, a good backstory, and knowing how and when to make an entrance.
From the LA Times:
Many Angelenos saw themselves in P-22, an aging bachelor who adjusted to a too-small space in the big city, waiting for a mate who might never arrive. Others identified with his story, crossing borders and freeways in search of a place he could call home.posted by mogget at 5:21 PM on December 17, 2022 [22 favorites]
I like to think he’s gone to a better place, full of conveniently fat and slow chihuahuas.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 5:36 PM on December 17, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 5:36 PM on December 17, 2022 [11 favorites]
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posted by socialjusticeworrier at 5:52 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by socialjusticeworrier at 5:52 PM on December 17, 2022
I was visiting Metafilter with the intention of posting this story when I found there was already a discussion started about it.
I've posted comments in many posts about living in a human settlement but still in proximity to large wildlife but it's one thing for the bears near me to coxist in a small Alaska town and quite another for a mountain lion to survive in the midst of Los Angeles. Nevertheless, even in the most urban places I think many people would be shocked by the amount of animal life in their environs and by how well hidden much of it can be.
When I first read headlines saying P-22 had been euthanized I was prepared to be angry at what I automatically assumed would be the outcome of an old-fashioned kill-first wildlife management policy. I was surprised and gratified to find that a more balanced approach was used. It's unfortunate that the car strike forced the issue but I feel some reassurance that the best interests of the animal weighed significantly in the decision, rather than just the desire to eliminate an inconvenience.
posted by Nerd of the North at 6:23 PM on December 17, 2022 [7 favorites]
I've posted comments in many posts about living in a human settlement but still in proximity to large wildlife but it's one thing for the bears near me to coxist in a small Alaska town and quite another for a mountain lion to survive in the midst of Los Angeles. Nevertheless, even in the most urban places I think many people would be shocked by the amount of animal life in their environs and by how well hidden much of it can be.
When I first read headlines saying P-22 had been euthanized I was prepared to be angry at what I automatically assumed would be the outcome of an old-fashioned kill-first wildlife management policy. I was surprised and gratified to find that a more balanced approach was used. It's unfortunate that the car strike forced the issue but I feel some reassurance that the best interests of the animal weighed significantly in the decision, rather than just the desire to eliminate an inconvenience.
posted by Nerd of the North at 6:23 PM on December 17, 2022 [7 favorites]
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posted by gentlyepigrams at 7:21 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by gentlyepigrams at 7:21 PM on December 17, 2022
I can't believe that out of all the celebrity deaths over the past couple of years, P-22 is the only one that made me cry a little. He was a very relatable big cat.
posted by betweenthebars at 7:21 PM on December 17, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by betweenthebars at 7:21 PM on December 17, 2022 [5 favorites]
I didn't realize until last week that it's P-22 who makes an appearance in my very favourite Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds song.
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posted by avocet at 8:29 PM on December 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by avocet at 8:29 PM on December 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by kensington314 at 10:55 PM on December 17, 2022
posted by kensington314 at 10:55 PM on December 17, 2022
Meanwhile, welcome P-109, P-110, P-111 and P-112, four newly-tagged mountain lion kittens in the western Santa Monica Mountains.
posted by cheshyre at 6:34 AM on December 18, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by cheshyre at 6:34 AM on December 18, 2022 [10 favorites]
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posted by Mike Mongo at 2:26 PM on December 18, 2022
posted by Mike Mongo at 2:26 PM on December 18, 2022
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Nevertheless, even in the most urban places I think many people would be shocked by the amount of animal life in their environs and by how well hidden much of it can be.
There's a great episode of Planet Earth specifically about wildlife in urban environments. Did you know peregrine falcons thrive in cities? I had no idea.
posted by mosst at 7:09 AM on December 19, 2022
Nevertheless, even in the most urban places I think many people would be shocked by the amount of animal life in their environs and by how well hidden much of it can be.
There's a great episode of Planet Earth specifically about wildlife in urban environments. Did you know peregrine falcons thrive in cities? I had no idea.
posted by mosst at 7:09 AM on December 19, 2022
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posted by wicked_sassy at 7:40 AM on December 19, 2022
posted by wicked_sassy at 7:40 AM on December 19, 2022
Did you know peregrine falcons thrive in cities? I had no idea.
Back when I worked downtown, I worked on the 37th floor, and there was a pair of hawks that liked to hang out on the building across the street, a couple floors up even past me. It was really cool watching a bird casually and routinely, multiple times a day, drop off the building ledge 400 feet or so above the ground with just a little flip of the wings.
For more, see Pale Male and Lola.
posted by joyceanmachine at 8:11 AM on December 19, 2022
Back when I worked downtown, I worked on the 37th floor, and there was a pair of hawks that liked to hang out on the building across the street, a couple floors up even past me. It was really cool watching a bird casually and routinely, multiple times a day, drop off the building ledge 400 feet or so above the ground with just a little flip of the wings.
For more, see Pale Male and Lola.
posted by joyceanmachine at 8:11 AM on December 19, 2022
I like to think of him with Betty White—two Hollywood icons.
posted by elphaba at 10:26 AM on December 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by elphaba at 10:26 AM on December 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
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