A mountain lion famed in Los Angeles for roaming across freeways and making a sprawling urban park his home has been captured by wildlife officials.
The cougar, dubbed P-22, wears a GPS tracking collar as part of a National Park Service study and is regularly recorded on security cameras strolling through residential areas near LA’s Griffith Park, a wilderness and picnic area.
P-22 was hit with a tranquiliser dart in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood near the park on Monday night.
Wildlife officials want to examine the big cat after he killed a dog that was being walked in the Hollywood Hills.
Los Feliz resident Sarah Picchi told the Los Angeles Times that P-22 was tranquilised in her backyard shortly before 11 a.m. Picchi said Fish and Wildlife officers rang at her front gate and said: “’You have a lion in your backyard.’”
“Of course, I knew it was P-22 because I’ve been following the story,” she told the newspaper.
An anonymous report Sunday night indicated that P-22 may have been struck by a vehicle, wildlife officials said. After being examined, authorities will “determine the best next steps for the animal while also prioritising the safety of surrounding communities,” the joint statement said.