Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — The famous Griffith Park mountain lion known as P-22 has been exploring some new neighborhoods lately, the National Park Service has confirmed.
There were reports of the mountain lion seen in Silver Lake March 8, the farthest south the 12-year-old mountain lion has ventured. The National Park Service, which has been tracking P-22 for 10 years, said the big cat did indeed pass through that area.
Beatriz Cholo, local public affairs officer for the National Park Service, told KTLA the mountain lion was in the area around 7 p.m. and several people took photos of him.
The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area posted on its Facebook page that, “Two nights ago, we tracked P-22, a 12-year-old mountain lion we’ve been studying for the last decade, in Silver Lake, the furthest south he’d ever ventured since living in Griffith Park.
“We’re happy to report that P-22 has made it back to his regular stomping grounds in Griffith Park!”
According to Cholo, as reported by KTLA, the mountain lion is sometimes spotted in urban areas near the park, and was once found in a basement in Los Feliz.
P-22 was most likely born in the Santa Monica Mountains and crossed the 101 and 405 freeways years ago to Griffith Park to hunt for food.
