Before P-22 died in December, I’ll admit I used to be solely vaguely conscious that there was a mountain lion dwelling in Griffith Park.
I had heard the identify and was acquainted with a number of the many perils that pumas within the Los Angeles space have been dealing with — shrinking territory and an attendant lack of genetic range, dashing freeway site visitors and publicity to rat poison — however I didn’t know a lot about what made P-22 singular.
Then, late final 12 months, P-22, who had made an unlikely dwelling in Los Angeles’s greatest municipal park for greater than a decade, began behaving extra aggressively. Wildlife officers took it as an indication that after a protracted, tough life, his well being had deteriorated and that he must be euthanized. After his dying, he grew to become inescapable.
There was his feline face on an enormous yellow mural at a health studio the place I generally take lessons. There was a memorial on the Greek Theater, attended by hundreds of locals, together with celebrities. The Los Angeles Public Library hosted a studying of “love letters” to honor him, and issued a restricted version library card. Representative Adam Schiff emailed constituents to say that he was onerous at work pushing for a P-22 postage stamp.
Last week, the Los Angeles City Council authorized a movement to construct a everlasting memorial to him at Griffith Park, which might put the puma in league with James Dean, whose bust is on show close to Griffith Observatory.
All this had me questioning: What was it about this wild animal, dwelling in a metropolis stuffed with human celebrities, that impressed such fervent adoration?
What I discovered whereas reporting my latest article about P-22’s legacy is that his star potential was acknowledged years in the past and magnified by wildlife conservationists like Beth Pratt, the National Wildlife Federation’s govt director for California, who grew to become the cat’s unofficial agent.
She helped make him the face of a profitable marketing campaign to boost cash to construct the world’s largest wildlife crossing, which is beneath building over Highway 101 in Agoura Hills.
But his story of isolation — he was a bachelor who by no means mated — and survival in a metropolis that tends to grind down people additionally resonated with Angelenos.
To Warren Dickson, a hip-hop artist who tries to get college students from South Los Angeles engaged in environmentalism, P-22 is without delay a kindred spirit and a vexing level of comparability.
He recalled assembly Pratt by probability after he was employed to drive her to a wildlife conservation fund-raiser. She invited him into the occasion, and he was struck by the extent of concern even for predators.
“Black people just want you to love them like you love mountain lions,” he recalled telling the principally white visitors.
Rather than flip away, Pratt was appreciative of Dickson’s honesty, he mentioned, and the 2 struck up a productive friendship. She finally helped him document and make a music video for his music “If I Was Wild.”
Dickson believes that fostering a reference to P-22’s story may help construct empathy for marginalized human communities like his personal. He hopes to make a full-time profession out of wildlife conservation.
Some of P-22’s attraction was extra instinctive. At the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the place there’s an exhibit devoted to his “hero’s journey,” I discovered Michelle Davis pointing at a giant map, displaying the cougar’s territory whereas her 5-year-old son, Benjamin, poked at buttons to signify different recognized pumas.
Benjamin, she defined, had been assigned a “passion project” by his college. Last 12 months, he tackled Metro trains. This 12 months, he deliberate to be taught concerning the huge cat.
“Why did you pick P-22?” Davis gently prodded her son.
He squirmed shyly, his eyes downcast.
“I miss him,” he mentioned. Then he bounded away.
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If you learn one story, make it this
On Thursday, the United States lifted a pandemic rule that had been used to right away kick out a whole lot of hundreds of migrants who crossed the border illegally during the last three years. Here’s a information to who will get in now.
Where we’re touring
Today’s tip comes from Claire Ramos, who recommends a drive in Rancho Palos Verdes:
“The cliffs at Point Vicente, near Redondo Beach and south of Los Angeles, make for an amazing drive. Catalina Island sparkles across the waves immediately to the west, and the cliffs retain a sort of mysterious silvery light. There’s an old lighthouse and park to wander through, where you can watch rabbits and ground squirrels in the brush. A quiet, enchanting, magical place.”
Tell us about your favourite locations to go to in California. Email your strategies to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We’ll be sharing extra in upcoming editions of the publication.
And earlier than you go, some good news
The Marin Independent Journal lately requested readers to share six-word tales of issues they treasure. Here’s a few of our favorites:
“From Mother, the gift of gab.” — Patrick Ritter, San Rafael
“Loud vinyl music, hear me scream.” — Lucy Ray Bakowski, Fairfax
“Golden retriever Elliott, my greatest gift.” — Ann Troy, San Anselmo
“Being a parent, becoming a grandparent.” — Anna Lazzarini, Novato
“My first bike, a love affair.” — Alan Goldfarb, San Rafael
Source: www.nytimes.com