LOS ANGELES, California — L.A. held a massive outdoor memorial Saturday for P-22, a mountain lion that became famous for living in the hills above Hollywood and was euthanized in December after being hit by a car.
People arrive for a memorial for the famed mountain lion P-22 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on February 4, 2023. – Los Angeles residents and animal lovers remembered the city’s most famous feline who died on December 18, 2022. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
As Breitbart News reported late last year:
Officials euthanized the famous and beloved mountain lion known as P-22 on Saturday morning, after deciding that the cat’s injuries from a recent apparent collision with a car were too painful and difficult to survive.
The mountain lion, known to inhabit the hills of Griffith Park, and occasionally seen on cameras mounted on forest trails or driveways, had become a celebrated part of local folklore over the past several years.
However, the lone male, who was monitored by wildlife authorities, had finally been overcome by the challenge of life in urban surroundings and could no longer survive after his injuries.
The memorial, held for several hours in Griffith Park’s Greek Theatre, became a massive campaign for wildlife conservation, watched by thousands onsite and many more online.
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 4, 2023 – Students with San Pascual STEAM Magnet Elementary School sing there original song, P-22 We Love You, while playing ukuleles at the “celebration of life” for L.A.’s famous mountain lion, P-22 at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles on February 4, 2023. The National Wildlife Federation oversaw the event attended by thousands and included presentations by actor Rainn Wilson, Mountain Lion Biologist Jeff Sikh, Congressmen Adam Schiff and Ted Lieu, National Geographic photographer Steve Winter and Native American representatives with the Gabrielino Tongva and Chumash. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Times reported:
In an event that lasted more than three hours and was streamed online to thousands of viewers, more than four dozen speakers — including scientists, advocates, politicians and celebrities — honored the puma’s far-reaching impact on environmental advocacy and wildlife research.
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The National Wildlife Foundation aims to raise $500 million for wildlife crossings in the next five years.
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Elected officials — including Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, state Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) and U.S. Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) — also honored their mountain lion constituent.
While it may strike outsiders — as well as some locals — as bizarre to devote so much attention to one animal, when there are tens of thousands of homeless human beings on the streets, P-22 had become a symbol of freedom to many L.A. residents — a sign of the wild spirit of nature in a city overrun by concrete and asphalt.
Los Angeles, CA – February 04: People pose with a photo of P22 during the celebration of life for the wild mountain lion who died, famous P-22 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 4, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
Though rarely sighted, P-22 became a beloved, almost mythological presence.
Los Angeles, CA – February 04: A young girl wearing lion ears looks on during the celebration of life for the wild mountain lion who died, famous P-22 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 4, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
The Washington Post added that he was often described, and celebrated, in terms reserved for the human celebrities who dominate local culture:
He was known by one hyphenated name. And on Saturday, thousands of Angelenos attended his memorial service at the Greek Theatre, the same venue graced by Bruce Springsteen and Aretha Franklin. Just like the Boss and the Queen of Soul, P-22 packed the house.
It was a celebration of the life of an L.A. icon — and almost certainly the first of its kind for a mountain lion. Politicos jockeyed for spots on the list of speakers, tickets sold out in hours, and the Hollywood sign stood sentinel not far away.
Last October, another mountain lion, previously unknown, was spotted in west L.A. outside this author’s home. A few days later, another sighting — possibly of the same lion — took place in the center of busy Brentwood.
Los Angeles, CA – February 04: People bow their heads during a prayer for P22 during the celebration of life for the wild mountain lion who died, famous P-22 at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 4, 2023. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
There is a growing awareness of the vulnerability of the state’s mountain lion population. A recent study suggested that one to two mountain lions are killed on the state’s roads each week — 535 in eight years.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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