P-22 Memorial In Griffith Park Proposed By LA Officials

LOS ANGELES, CA — City officials are exploring ways to honor the late, great mountain lion P-22 in his "home turf" of Griffith Park.

The City Council on Friday laid the groundwork for a permanent memorial for the cougar when members voted to create a special committee of the Griffith Park Advisory Board to study the matter. It also instructs city staffers to report back to he council within 120 days with a proposal of of memorial and/or donation-based memorial program dedicated to the memory of P-22.

The committee will include city personnel and private stakeholders to determine the location and design for the memorial.

The plan was introduced by Councilmember Nithya Raman.

“I had the great honor of representing the area where P-22 lived in Council District 4, where he achieved celebrity status after completing an Odyssey-like journey, crossing the 405 and the 101, and trekking over 20 miles to reach his new home of Griffith Park over a decade ago,” Raman said in a statement. “It only makes sense that we pay tribute to his legacy with a permanent memorial on his home turf, where visitors can come pay their respects and learn more about his invaluable contributions to wildlife conservation. P-22 was important to so many Angelenos, and I’m looking forward to the results of a participatory, community-driven process to determine what that permanent memorial will look like.”

The move comes after the City Council earlier this year began exploring a plan.

After he was born around 2010 in the western Santa Monica Mountains, P-22 trekked east across the 101 and 405 Freeways – the only cougar known to successfully complete both risky crossings – before eventually making a home around Griffith Park.

First identified by wildlife officials in 2012, he soon became one of Los Angeles' most famous residents and became a frequent fixture in backyard surveillance camera footage and news reports.

He became a symbol of urban wildlife safety and conservation. P-22 was an inspiration for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, which is meant to reduce vehicle collisions with wildlife.

P-22 was euthanized in December for serious health issues, including injuries he sustained after being hit by a car. He was celebrated at a sold-out tribute at the Greek Theatre in February.

He was buried at an undisclosed location in the Santa Monica Mountains after a tribal ceremony in March.