Famed California mountain lion celebrated at Los Angeles event

Feb 4 (Reuters) – A famed California mountain lion was celebrated at a sold-out occasion on the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, with hundreds of followers honoring the large cat’s life and contribution to city wildlife.

The mountain lion, known as P-22 and regarded as about 12 years outdated, grew to become a Los Angeles movie star after residing within the shadow of the Hollywood Hills for over a decade, traversing busy highways to take up residence in and round Griffith Park.

P-22, famously photographed prowling previous the landmark Hollywood signal, had turn into a well-liked image of campaigns to save lots of California’s threatened inhabitants of mountain lions, often known as cougars or pumas.

The animal was euthanized in December due to extreme well being issues following a suspected automobile strike.

“Round his loss of life, the worldwide outpouring of assist was immense. He was trending on Twitter. He was in Rolling Stone journal,” Nationwide Wildlife Federation California Govt Director Beth Pratt, a lifelong advocate for wildlife who had championed P-22 for a decade, informed Reuters.

“So we did this as a means for the neighborhood of L.A., but in addition the world, to have the ability to type of grieve collectively.”

Among the many crowds who attended the celebration, many sporting P-22 memorabilia, Los Angeles resident Paul Aguayo recounted an encounter with P-22 close to Burbank in 2012.

“I used to be going up this path and I heard just a little snap, just a little motion. And I seemed round and we locked eyes for about two, 4 seconds. He circled and simply dashed down the canyon. I noticed his tail,” Aguayo informed Reuters.

Mountain lions like P-22 are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, with freeway deaths taking an rising toll. Officers and advocates have known as for the development of extra wildlife crossings in city areas and well-planned areas for them to roam.

“Internationally, individuals now take a look at the best way to coexist with their wild neighbors otherwise due to him,” stated Pratt.

“And wildlife crossings are nothing new. However he elevated the wildlife crossing calls into public discourse in a means that it hadn’t been earlier than. So not dangerous for this cat who was simply roaming Griffith Park.”

Reporting by Jorge Garcia; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Modifying by Christopher Cushing

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