An unmarked mountain lion was spotted in Griffith Park last week, sparking excitement among wildlife enthusiasts who hoped a new tenant has moved into the area where the beloved P-22 once roamed.
The big cat was spotted near Barham Boulevard last Tuesday evening. Video shows him wandering near an area parking lot, just over 30 feet away from Vlad Polumiskov, who was recording the encounter.
“I’ve seen the P-22 before, was lucky enough to see it and this cat is much bigger than the P-22,” Polumiskov said.
About two hours later, he then took a photo of the big cat as it sat in a tree near the parking lot.
He says he’s well used to wild neighbors, as his Hollywood Hill apartment complex is near the edge of Griffith Park.
“It’s great. Let’s hope this is the new P-22,” he said. “Long live P-22.”
The National Wildlife Federation is urging residents to use caution if they encounter the mountain lion, especially when it comes to pointing lights and sounds in its direction, as it may not be used to cameras.
“The wilderness hasn’t forgotten us, and so I think it’s possible that another cat might show up here. Especially for Angelenos, it’s just another sense of wonder that the wild word is here, even in the second largest city in America. the country,” said Beth Pratt, a wildlife advocate with NWF.
If the mountain lion is tagged as part of the ongoing Santa Monica Mountains investigation, it could become P-122, an ironic but fitting throwback to Griffith Park’s most famous resident, the P-22, also known as the ‘Hollywood Cat’ that euthanized at the end of 2022 after being hit by a car and seriously injured.
“You can’t make that up, you know, this is a Hollywood script, right?” said Pratt.
She says this latest sighting is just an indication that wildlife needs help, pointing to the new wildlife crossing currently under construction over Highway 101.
“We need to do more crossings, you know, it’s not going to be done just once,” she said. “To me, this just points out that we need to ensure that these animals have safe passage in and out of Griffith Park.”
Experts have not been able to locate the mountain lion since it was spotted last week and are unsure where it came from or how old it is.
