Angelenos who miss P-22, a beloved mountain lion who lived in the heart of Los Angeles for more than a decade, will be able to see him again — in bronze — as a statue is set to be unveiled at Griffith Park.
The statue, which was created by Los Angeles-based artist Adam Matano, will live at the Griffith Park Visitors Center, the National Wildlife Federation and Friends of Griffith Park announced in a Thursday news release. It will create a space inside the park, P-22’s former home, where people will be able to visit and pay remembrance.
Matano beat out dozens of other artists to secure the commission to create the sculpture and, after many months, has completed a preliminary clay art form, according to the release. A bronze version of the statue, titled “Earth to City: Rhapsody of the Wild King,” will be installed in Griffith Park at a date yet to be announced.
Matano said in the release that the inspiration behind the title of the work was “[t]he idea of the wild entering Los Angeles and awakening the city to the nature already within it; creating a sweeping, emotional composition rather than a conventional memorial; and transforming P-22 into a king not because he dominated the territory but rather because he lived according to his own nature and captured the heart of a city.”
P-22 became the face of an international campaign to save Southern California’s threatened pumas when, in December 2022, he was captured by the National Park Service and the state’s wildlife department. P-22 was showing increasing “signs of stress,” including three attacks on dogs within a month and near-encounters with people in Los Feliz and Silver Lake.
He was humanely euthanized by wildlife officials later that same month. Officials said he had several long-term health concerns and injuries that likely stemmed from being hit by a car.
Thousands of Angelenos came together at L.A.’s Greek Theatre in early 2023 to celebrate the mountain lion’s life and legacy. Following the celebration, discussions emerged about how to memorialize P-22 and honor his memory.
Joann Randall, a longtime supporter of Friends of Griffith Park, donated the funds to create the statue. A plaque at the site will honor Randall and her late husband for their contribution, according to the release.
“I am overjoyed that Joann wants to ensure that P-22 is honored for his incredible legacy,” Beth Pratt, California regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation, said in the release. “Her generous donation to fund this sculpture will allow people to connect to this world-famous mountain lion that meant so much to so many around the globe. As someone who loved P-22 deeply, I am glad he will be recognized for how he changed conservation.”
P-22 was first discovered living in Griffith Park by a group of biologists in 2012, according to the release. The mountain lion managed to cross two busy freeways and lived in the park for nearly a decade.
P-22’s story helped to inspire the creation of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which is scheduled to open on Dec. 2. The bridge will be the largest of its kind.
The statue also received support from the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks and Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman.
The post P-22 remade in bronze as honor fit for a ‘King’ comes to Griffith Park appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
