After attacking and killing a pet dog last month, famed Griffith Park mountain lion P-22 was captured on Monday, December 12, in the backyard of a Los Feliz home in Los Angeles, according to a news release from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service.
Officials successfully tranquillized the mountain lion known as P-22 and transported him to a wild animal care facility for a full health evaluation. The big cat was tracked down by forest officials using GPS technology attached to the mountain lion's tracking collar.
Officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the National Park Service (NPS) have thanked the community for their assistance and for refraining from intervening in the effort.
This was an unprecedented situation in which a mountain lion had survived in such a densely populated area. As per the news release, CDFW and NPS have long partnered on issues related to P-22 and will work together to find the most humane option available for the lion and the community in which he lives. CDFW and NPS have already been in contact with leading institutions for animal care and rehabilitation centers.
According to KTLA, last month, mountain lion P-22 killed a Los Angeles resident's pet leashed chihuahua dog that was going for a walk in the Hollywood Hills. On November 9, a mountain lion emerged from the bushes onto a residential street and pounced on Piper, a Chihuahua mix, according to security camera footage. Piper was one of two dogs-both on leashes-being walked by an unnamed dog walker.
According to The Guardian, P-22 has been dubbed "the Brad Pitt of mountain lions" by Beth Pratt, the National Wildlife Federation's California director, who even has a mountain lion tattoo.
