Examination reveals P-22, LA’s superstar mountain lion, was in all probability hit by a automotive

The well-known Hollywood-roaming mountain lion often called P-22 is drastically underweight and was in all probability struck and injured by a automotive, wildlife specialists who carried out a well being examination on the massive cat stated on Tuesday.

The male cougar, whose killing of a leashed canine has raised considerations about its habits, in all probability is not going to be launched again into the wild and may very well be despatched to an animal sanctuary or euthanized, relying on its well being, the California division of fish and wildlife stated.

“No person is taking that form of resolution calmly,” spokesperson Jordan Traverso stated throughout a videoconference. He added the company understood “the significance of this animal to the neighborhood and to California”, and “we acknowledge the disappointment of it”.

P-22 was captured and tranquilized on Monday within the stylish Los Feliz neighborhood close to his ordinary hang-out of Griffith Park, an island of wilderness and picnic areas within the midst of the Los Angeles city sprawl.

State and federal wildlife officers introduced final week that they had been involved the ageing cat “could also be exhibiting indicators of misery” due partly to ageing, noting the animal wanted to be studied to find out what steps to take.

Tuesday’s examination discovered the cat had a watch harm, in all probability acquired from being hit by a automotive and extra assessments can be carried out to find out if the animal suffered further head trauma, stated Deana Clifford, the senior wildlife veterinarian with the division.

A computerized tomography scan is scheduled for later this week to look into different attainable persistent well being points that will have prompted his decline, Clifford stated.

P-22 was first captured in 2012 and fitted with a GPS monitoring collar as a part of a Nationwide Park Service research. The cougar is usually recorded on safety cameras strolling via residential areas close to Griffith Park.

P-22 is believed to be about 12 years previous, making him the oldest southern California cougar presently being studied. Most mountain lions reside a few decade.

“That is an previous cat and previous cats get old-cat illnesses,” Clifford stated. “Any of us who had cats at residence have seen this.

“We’re working via all of these points and we’ll take a totality of the findings under consideration to attempt to make the very best resolution we will for the cat,” she stated.

P-22 normally hunts deer and coyotes, however in November the Nationwide Park Service confirmed that the cougar had attacked and killed a Chihuahua combine that was being walked within the slender streets of the Hollywood Hills.

The cougar can also be suspected of attacking one other Chihuahua within the Silver Lake neighborhood this month.

P-22 has lived a lot of his life in Griffith Park, crossing two main freeways to get there. He was the face of the marketing campaign to construct a wildlife crossing over a Los Angeles-area freeway to present large cats, coyotes, deer and different wildlife a protected path to the close by Santa Monica Mountains, the place they’ve room to roam.

Floor was damaged this yr on the bridge, which is able to stretch 200ft over US 101. Development is anticipated to be accomplished by early 2025.