What really happened to P-22

P-22 is a good example of a story people think they remember clearly, even though they usually remember only the emotion and not the actual findings.

What many Angelenos carry around is the simplified version: LA's famous Griffith Park mountain lion was old, got sick, and had to be put down. The real findings were more concrete. Wildlife officials said P-22 had multiple severe traumatic injuries and chronic health problems. Final necropsy findings later pointed to skull trauma, a torn diaphragm, organ damage, kidney and liver disease, arthritis, and signs consistent with a recent vehicle strike layered on top of long-term decline.

That matters because it answers the quiet question many people still have: why couldn't he simply be rehabilitated or kept alive in captivity? The answer from the agencies involved was that his injuries and chronic conditions had severely compromised his quality of life and ability to function.

There was also a follow-up that got less attention than the euthanasia itself. In March 2023, tribal leaders, scientists, and conservation advocates buried P-22 in the Santa Monica Mountains in a private ceremony. So the real ending is more complete, and more ceremonial, than the average reader remembers.