Griffith Park’s famous mountain lion, P-22, was spotted roaming Silver Lake Tuesday night — the farthest south he’s ever been since moving to the park, authorities said.
The big cat, who has become somewhat of a local celebrity, stirred an online frenzy as multiple residents shared images of their mountain lion sightings and speculated that it was P-22.
One video shows the big cat lounging in someone’s driveway by some recycling bins, staring out at a resident who was filming it.
Resident Lauren Beyda told KTLA she saw the mountain lion in her backyard.
“My dog started freaking out at like 4:30 in the morning and I woke up and I saw it walk across my backyard,” Beyda said. “I thought I was hallucinating because I was so tired… and then it came right to my window and I saw its big face at my window and it must have been hanging out in my backyard for like 30 minutes.”
Putting an end to the speculation, the National Park Service — which has been tracking P-22 for about 10 years — confirmed the mountain lion had passed through the area Tuesday night.
The 12-year-old cougar was in the area around 7 p.m., where several people were taking photos of him, NPS Santa Monica Public Affairs Officer Ana Beatriz Cholo said.
The next ping from his GPS radio collar came at 3 a.m. from an area east of the Silver Lake Reservoir, where the Park Service speculates he was in a vegetated area there.
This isn’t the first time P-22 has ventured from his home in Griffith Park.
The mountain lion is sometimes spotted in urban areas near the park, and has even previously been found in a basement in Los Feliz, Cholo said.
But this was the first time the Park Service has tracked him in Silver Lake, according to Cholo.
“Lions sometimes go into weird spots. We can’t read their minds. We don’t know why they’re going where they’re going,” Cholo said.
While Silver Lake is the farthest south he’s been, the mountain lion is no stranger to traveling long distances.
It is believed that P-22 was born in the Santa Monica Mountains, and that he crossed the 101 and the 405 freeways years ago to get to Griffith Park, where there’s plenty of mule deer to feed on.
Cholo urged anyone who encounters P-22 in their neighborhood to give them space.
“Don’t try to get that selfie with him,” Cholo said.
“Keep in mind that he is a wild animal. And wild animals can be unpredictable,” Cholo said. “So even though mountain lions are elusive creatures and they don’t see human as prey, it’s just smart to give him space and let him walk away and don’t get close.”
