Famous LA mountain lion P-22 is EUTHANIZED after mauling one pet Chihuahua to death and attacking another, as animal experts said big cat was showing signs of ‘distress’

• P-22, the notorious mountain lion living in Los Angeles, was euthanized on Saturday after being captured earlier this week 
• The lion was transported to an animal care facility Monday, and a health probe found he was suffering from injuries likely sustained from being hit by a car
• Along with a fractured skull, P-22 was found to be suffering a skin infection and diseases of the kidneys and liver
• The big cat was originally captured after it mauled a Chihuahua to death in November in Hollywood Hills and suspected of killing another 

P-22, the notorious mountain lion living in Los Angeles, has been euthanized after it killed a Chihuahua and suffered health problems likely caused by a car. 

The big cat, who became a symbol of urban pressures on wildlife, was put down on Saturday due to dangerous changes in his behavior after he was captured on Monday for killing a chihuahua outside a Hollywood Hills home. 

Officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said the decision to euthanize the beloved lion was made after veterinarians determined it had a skull fracture and chronic illnesses, including a skin infection and diseases of the kidneys and liver.

‘His prognosis was deemed poor,’ said the agency’s director, Chuck Bonham, who fought back tears during a news conference announcing the cougar’s death. ‘This really hurts .. it’s been an incredibly difficult several days.’

The animal became the face of the campaign to build a wildlife crossing over a Los Angeles-area freeway to give big cats, coyotes, deer and other wildlife a safe path to the nearby Santa Monica Mountains, where they have room to roam.

 P-22, the notorious mountain lion living in Los Angeles, was euthanized on Saturday

The lion was transported to a wild animal care facility Monday, and a health probe found the big cat was suffering from injuries likely sustained from being hit by a car

The cougar is shown after wildlife officials tranquilized him, reportedly to protect residents of the Los Feliz neighborhood in LA after P-22 attacked and killed a Chihuahua 

Seth Riley, wildlife branch chief with the National Park Service, called P-22 ‘an ambassador for his species,’ with the wildlife bridge a symbol of his lasting legacy.

State and federal wildlife officials announced earlier this month that they were concerned that P-22 ‘may be exhibiting signs of distress’ due in part to aging, noting the animal needed to be studied to determine what steps to take.

The aging mountain was captured in a residential backyard in the trendy Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles on December 12, a month after killing a Chihuahua on a dogwalker’s leash. 

An anonymous report that indicated P-22 may have been struck by a vehicle was confirmed by a CT scan that revealed injuries to his head and torso, wildlife officials said.

State authorities determined that the only likely options were euthanasia or confinement in an animal sanctuary – a difficult prospect for a wild lion.

P-22 was believed to be 12 years old, longer-lived than most wild male mountain lions.

His name was his number in a National Park Service study of the challenges the wide-roaming big cats face in habitat fragmented by urban sprawl and hemmed in by massive freeways that are not only dangerous to cross but are also barriers to the local population’s genetic diversity.

P-22 was in stable condition after being hit with the tranquilizer dart, authorities said, but a follow up investigation found the big cat was dealing with a skull fracture and chronic illnesses

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 P-22 had become a symbol of urban pressures on wildlife as the big cat was repeatedly spotted hopping fences throughout the local zoo

Along with a fractured skull, P-22 was found to be suffering a skin infection and diseases of the kidneys and liver. He’s pictured before (left) and after a round of mage in 2014

The cougar was regularly recorded on security cameras strolling through residential areas near his home in Griffith Park, an island of wilderness and picnic areas in the middle of Los Angeles.

‘P-22´s survival on an island of wilderness in the heart of Los Angeles captivated people around the world and revitalized efforts to protect our diverse native species and ecosystems,’ Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement Saturday.

Ground was broken this year on the wildlife crossing, which will stretch 200 feet over U.S. 101. Construction is expected to be completed by early 2025.

P-22 usually hunted deer and coyotes, but in November the National Park Service confirmed that the cougar had attacked and killed a Chihuahua mix that was being walked in the narrow streets of the Hollywood Hills.

P-22 is seen on this security footage prowling along a residential street moments prior to the attack in November

The cat is seen slinking about a residential area in HollywoodHills before sneaking up on the dog walker and the chihuahua

The cougar also is suspected of attacking another Chihuahua, Piper, in the Silver Lake neighborhood this month.

Daniel Jimenez, Piper’s owner, was celebrating his daughter’s birthday when he received a text from his dog walker which read: ‘The mountain lion attacked and took away your dog. Killed your dog.’

He said he thought it was a joke at first, later saying he was left devastated by the news.

Beth Pratt with the National Wildlife Federation said she hopes P-22’s life and death will inspire the construction of more wildlife crossings in California and across the nation. The nonprofit was a major advocate for the LA-area bridge.

‘He changed the way we look at LA. And his influencer status extended around the world, as he inspired millions of people to see wildlife as their neighbors,’ Pratt said.

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