Wild mountain lion is newest star spotted in Hollywood Hills
There’s a wild new “A-lister” on the block roaming near the Hollywood Hills – this star, however, isn’t human.
Los Angeles residents have reportedly spotted a mountain lion roaming around Griffith Park, home to the iconic Hollywood sign.
The idyllic spot, which has been featured in 2016’s Oscar-winning musical La La Land, on the eastern side of the Santa Monica Mountains was the same stomping ground as P-22, or Puma-22.
The iconic big cat was branded the “Brad Pitt” of mountain lions, garnering overnight fame after being pictured in front of the Hollywood sign and appearing in National Geographic magazine.
But after suffering from illness in 2022, P-22 had to be euthanized.
The latest spotting has locals hopeful it can provide an impact about how to live with local wildlife and become more than a big cat “living large in the Hollywood Hills,” Beth Pratt, California Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation, told Huffington Post.
Experts are currently investigating the apparent presence new mountain lion, after the wild animal was spotted roaming around a car park with the Hollywood sign in the background.
“He is a beautiful, beautiful animal,” Vladimir Polumiskov, who took a video of the beast, told the Los Angeles Times. Mr Polumiskov says he returned to the spot for a second time, and to his surprise, the suspected male mountain lion was still there.
However, NWF has asked the public to err on the side of caution as it is currently unclear if the new lion is camera shy – unlike P-22.
Ms Pratt said that biologists are now looking into investigating the sighting.
“Please give the cat space if you see him-we are trying to avoid for now people trying to photograph him – lights and sounds from cameras could impact this cat’s behavior as we don’t know if he is as comfortable in front of the cameras as P-22,” she wrote on X.
“Very exciting to contemplate another mountain lion may be calling Griffith Park home! Long live P-22,” Ms Pratt concluded.
As many as 15 lions might roam the Santa Monica Mountains, estimates suggest
