Untagged mountain lion spotted in Griffith Park, once home to beloved P-22

An untagged mountain lion was spotted in Griffith Park last week, bringing excitement to wildlife enthusiasts hopeful that a new tenant has moved into the area once roamed by the beloved P-22. 

The big cat was spotted on last Tuesday evening near Barham Boulevard. Video shows as it wanders near a parking lot in the area, just over a dozen feet from Vlad Polumiskov, who was recording the encounter.

"I saw P-22 before, was fortunate enough to see him and this cat is way bigger than P-22," Polumiskov said. 

About two hours later, he then took a picture of the big cat as it was perched in a tree near the parking lot. 

He says that he's well-accustomed to wild neighbors as his Hollywood Hill apartment complex sits just near the edge of Griffith Park. 

"It's awesome. Let's hope this is the new P-22," he said. "Long live P-22."

The National Wildlife Federation is urging residents to be careful if they encounter the mountain lion, especially when it comes to directing lights and sounds in its direction since it may not be accustomed to cameras. 

"Wilderness has not forgotten us, and so, to have another cat possibly show up here, I think, for Angelenos especially, it's just another sense of wonder that here's the wild word, even in the second-largest city in the country," said Beth Pratt, a wildlife advocate with NWF. 

If the mountain lion does get tagged as part of the ongoing Santa Monica Mountains study, it could become P-122, an ironic but fitting toss to Griffith Park's most famous resident P-22, otherwise known as the "Hollywood Cat" who was euthanized in late-2022 after being hit by a car and suffering severe injuries. 

"You can't make that up, you know, this is a Hollywood script, right?" Pratt said. 

She says that this newest sighting is just another indication that nature needs a hand, pointing at the new wildlife crossing currently being constructed over the 101 Freeway. 

"We need to do more crossings, you know, it's not just one and done," she said. "For me, this just points to — we need to make sure there's safe passage for these animals in and out of Griffith Park."

Experts have not yet been able to locate the mountain lion since it was spotted last week and are unsure where it came from or how old it is.