California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) officials announced that P-22, the Hollywood mountain lion, was euthanized on Saturday morning, December 17, six days after being struck by a hit-and-run driver on Los Feliz Blvd., just blocks from the lion’s home in Griffith Park. CDFW officials said a weakened and wounded P-22 was captured by wildlife officials in the same area the next day with a head injury consistent with being struck by a car. Underweight and dehydrated, P-22 received IV treatment and antibiotics for an eye injury. “This really hurts,� CDFW Director Chuck Bonham said Saturday morning, fighting back tears. “It’s been an incredibly difficult several days, and for myself, I felt the entire weight of the city of Los Angeles on my shoulders.� (patch.com) Wildlife officials noticed P-22 hadn’t seemed himself in recent weeks and were planning to bring him in for a health evaluation. “P-22 is old for a wild cat and recent behavioral changes, along with evidence of physical changes, could be indicative of difficulty continuing to thrive in the wild,� noted Beth Pratt, California Regional Executive Director, National Wildlife Federation and Leader #SaveLACougars campaign. National Park Service (NPS) wildlife biologists have been tracking mountain lions for about 20 years; P-22 was one of them when he moved into Griffith Park after crossing two freeways. He was initially captured and outfitted with a tracking collar in 2012. “P-22 has given us so much,� said Pratt. “He captured the imagination of people around the globe, and his story inspired the building of the world’s largest urban wildlife crossing outside of Los Angeles, The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Agoura Hills, so that other area mountain lions don’t suffer his same fate.� In her eulogy for P-22, Pratt said, “I am so grateful I was given the opportunity to say goodbye to P-22. Although I have advocated for his protection for a decade, we had never met before. I sat near him, looking into his eyes for a few minutes, and told him he was a good boy. I told him how much I loved him. How much the world loved him…, she wrote. “P-22 never fully got to be a mountain lion. For his whole life he suffered the consequences of trying to survive in unconnected space,� she wrote. A memorial service is planned for the animal sometime after the holidays, but no specific details were announced.