The city of Los Angeles has announced plans to install a bronze sculpture in Griffith Park to memorialize P-22, a mountain lion who became a national symbol of wildlife resilience. The 4,200-acre (1,700-hectare) park served as the cougar’s primary habitat before his death.
P-22 earned widespread recognition after photographer Steve Winter captured a striking image of him walking through the park with the Hollywood sign visible in the background. The photograph highlighted the unique intersection of urban development and wild nature in Los Angeles.
The biologists who initially tracked and identified the animal assigned him the number P-22. He remained in the area for many years until health concerns prompted authorities to euthanize him in 2022.
Bronze in a city full of concrete? I guess sometimes we need permanent reminders that nature still exists here, however fragile.
I never knew about the euthanasia detail until reading this. I had no idea his end was so sudden and difficult.
Griffith Park is exactly the right place for this. It’s bittersweet remembering him, but fitting he’s honored where he lived.
P-22 truly was the face of LA wildlife. A bronze statue feels like the perfect tribute to his legacy.