P-22 — the first mountain lion to successfully cross the 405 and 101 freeways in Los Angeles and to survive for many years in the city’s Griffith Park — became a celebrity and an inspiration in his lifetime and has left behind a historic and impactful legacy. He lived under the Hollywood sign, after all.
His name came from being the 22nd puma in a National Park Service study, but his story is much more heartwarming, and personal.
To Beth Pratt, the National Wildlife Federation‘s regional executive director for California, P-22 was relatable. He made people see wildlife as neighbors, as creatures with struggles not so different from ours. “We are part of nature, and he reminded us of that,” she said.
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