Animal Advocates News, Wildlife Rehabilitation in Los Angeles, California. Animal Advocates rescues ill, injured and orphaned wildlife for release back to the wild. We rescue coyotes, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, opossums, skunks, squirrels .... and bats. Mary Cummins is a reporter with Animal Advocates News.
Mary Cummins Animal Advocates Los Angeles California Wildlife Rehabilitation Real Estate
p22, natural history museum, taxidermy, california department of fish & wildlife, california, mary cummins, animal advocates, los angeles, fish and game, muntain lion, puma, cougar
Los Angeles, California mountain lion P22 was euthanized December 17, 2022 at the San Diego Zoo by order of Chuck Bonham of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. P22's remains were sent to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles in Exposition Park to eventually be put on display as a taxidermy which caused an uproar. People had bonded to P22 over the years so it was akin to stuffing a dearly departed relative and putting them on public display. Immediately afterward California Native Americans and others demanded his remains be buried in a Native American ceremony because he was collectively owned by the people of California including the indigenous people. P22 was buried in an undisclosed location in the Santa Monica mountains.
Below is a timeline of what actually happened. I'm still receiving State Information Act Request documents over a year after P22 died. I haven't received any documents about P22's final remains or burial.
November 12, 2021 Miguel Ordenana of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles requested the remains of P22 when he died. The request was made to best preserve his body for use in taxidermy and study at the museum. Miguel Ordenana is the biologist who first discovered P22 in Griffith Park.
December 6, 2021 over a year before P22 died the California Department of Fish & Wildlife gave the Natural History Museum Research and Collections Department permission and permits to take P22's remains when he dies to be used for display. (see top letter)
December 7, 2022 The California Department of Fish & Game sent an advisory saying they will capture P22 to assess his condition.
December 12, 2022 P22 was captured alive and ultimately taken to the San Diego Zoo for assessment and possible treatment.
December 17, 2022 was euthanized, killed at the San Diego Zoo. CDFW stated they'd give the remains to the museum. "The CDFW confirmed this morning that P-22’s final resting place will be at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park in order to further research efforts on mountain lion biology and conservation."
December 19, 2022 an amended permit was given to the Natural History Museum about P22's remains. The remains were given to the museum. P22's radio collar is on display in the P22 exhibit in the museum. Another mountain lion is taxidermied near P22's display.
December 24, 2022 the museum stated they will not taxidermy and display P22. They had taken scientific samples and performed another necropsy. They were just holding P22 and conferring with others about his final disposition.
March 4, 2023 whatever remains were left of P22 were allegedly buried in a Native American ceremony in an undisclosed location in the Santa Monica mountains. Over three months had passed. By then the museum had done another necropsy, taken samples, xrays, photos, scans and probably took molds of his skull and skeleton.
p22, p-22, mountain lion, puma, cougar, mary cummins, animal advocates, griffith park, los angeles, california, dead
Photos of P22 from a State Information Act Request from Animal Advocates to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife. I made the request the day he died December 17, 2022 but it took them months to give me any information. These are confirmed P22 photos based on collar and location tracking.
The photo below looks like it was taken same time as video of P22 eating a raccoon. That looks like bottom half of a raccoon. Raccoons eat poisoned animals so eating a raccoon is one way P22 was poisoned as a secondary poisoning.
p22, p-22, mountain lion, puma, cougar, mary cummins, animal advocates, griffith park, los angeles, california, dead
p22, p-22, mountain lion, puma, cougar, mary cummins, animal advocates, griffith park, los angeles, california, dead
I've written extensively about the dwindling number of mountain lions in California especially in Southern California. Most of the mountain lions who die in Southern California die because of humans. They are mainly killed being hit by cars, poisoned with rat poison or with depredation permits.
When asked about the number of mountain lions in California the California Department of Fish & Wildlife generally says they have no idea how many exist. They never really tried to find out because they knew their numbers were decreasing rapidly. They allegedly told some the number "could be" about 6,000.
I had estimated the number was closer to 4,000 in an article I wrote about depredation permits. I stated "the California Department of Fish & Wildlife gave depredation permits to people in California who killed 1,702 mountain lions from 2001 to 2018" based on the results of State Information Act Requests which I made. Depredation permits are given to people who have had pets or livestock killed by mountain lions. The permits allow them to shoot and kill the mountain lion whom they think killed their animals. Every time pets or livestock are killed it's because they weren't properly protected by their owners.
Today the LA Times had an article about a recent study which is not final or published about the actual number of mountain lions in the state. The study found there could be 3,200-4,500 mountain lions in the state with most in Northern California. My estimate was right in the middle even though Fish & Wildlife told me it was "way too low." I even asked people who were directly involved in this study if they knew how many mountain lions existed. They said they had no idea but my number was too low. I actually have that on video. From the article,
"The total number of mountain lions is estimated to be between 3,200 and 4,500, which is thousands fewer than previously thought. The count was conducted by state and university scientists who used GPS collar data and genetic information from scat samples to model population densities across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Mojave Desert and Southern California’s patchwork of weedy, fire-stripped wilderness.
“The greatest density is in the coastal forests of Humboldt and Mendocino counties of Northwest California, and lowest is the high desert east of the Sierra Nevada range in Inyo County,” said Justin Dellinger, a large-carnivore biologist and leader of the California Mountain Lion Project effort. “The Central Valley and portions of the Mojave Desert have no mountain lions.”
"The California Department of Fish and Wildlife had for decades estimated that the state’s mountain lion population was roughly 6,000 — even despite relentless vehicle strikes, wildfires and encroachment by land-hungry humans throughout their range.
“That old figure was just a back-of-the-envelope calculation without much data to support it,” Dellinger said. “The new, more accurate information we collected will be used to conserve and manage mountain lions more appropriately.”
In a collaborative effort involving the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, the nonprofit Institute for Wildlife Studies and the nonprofit Audubon Canyon Ranch, Dellinger and others traipsed through mountain forests, canyons and desert badlands in search of tracks. They also set trail cameras and traps, tranquilized lions, took biological samples and fitted animals with tracking collars.
Dellinger said the group spent roughly $2.45 million in state funds over seven years to produce three population estimates: One suggests there are 4,511 cougars living in California, and the other two suggest the number is roughly 3,200. Deciding which figure is most precise will be challenging for biologists tasked with reviewing the census report."
"There’s an almost 1 in 4 chance that the charismatic cats could be extinct in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana Mountains within 50 years."
Clearly something must be done now or our native mountain lion will become extinct. I'm sure they calculated the birth rate, cub/kitten survival rate to age of maturity/breeding and death rate by various causes including depredation permits to make this estimate. I'd love to see the math but will have to wait until the research is reviewed then published. I will assume it's correct based on my knowledge of the experience and expertise of Dr. T Winston Vickers, UC Davis and the other organizations involved.
As I stated in my previous articles the main things we must do to save native mountain lions in order are the following.
1. Do not give any depredation permits for mountain lions. People must secure their livestock and pets. If a mountain lion doesn't kill and eat the livestock or pet dog, a coyote will. Fish & Wildlife said they don't want to give the permits. Ask the California legislature or the Fish & Game Commission to change the regulations that makes it mandatory for the Department to give depredation permits. They should only give permits if one specific mountain lion is a definite threat to humans based on facts and physical evidence.
2. Stop allowing the use of anticoagulant bait poison outdoors. Non-target wildlife are eating the poison directly or they are being poisoned secondarily by eating animals which ate the poison. Mountain lions will eat slower sick animals more often because they're easier to catch. They primarily eat the organ meat which is where the poison is stored in the liver. Mountain lions eat coyotes, raccoons who are also poisoned secondarily. Mountain lions eat ground squirrels, gophers directly who eat the poison directly. They really need to find a different safer method of controlling ground squirrels, gophers on golf courses, soccer fields and landscape areas. They have to put the poison in bait stations which only allow the target animal. Maybe there can be trap doors in the bait stations that dump the animal in a bucket where it can at least be killed humanely and quickly. Poison is a slow painful death.
3. Allow the maintenance of existing open space. Limit development and plan any development with native wildlife in mind. Don't plan new freeways with blind curves. Research has shown us mountain lions are more likely to be hit by cars on curved roads with limited visibility. If mountain lions must pass through a dangerous area, guide and funnel them to safer areas with hardscape and landscape. They are incorporating some of this in the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. Development also limits population ranges which isolates mountain lions causing inbreeding and genetic degradation issues.
I'm glad someone finally did a study about the actual number of mountain lions in California. Maybe this will help conserve this important keystone species. We need mountain lions to help control the deer population. If the deer population gets out of control, it can be detrimental to our ecosystem and environment. This is especially so because we killed off all our native wolves over 100 years ago. Only recently have a few migrated from other states into California. Reintroducing wolves in certain areas in some states has restored ecosystems. I hope we don't get to the point where we have to reintroduce mountain lions to California.
Mountain lion P22, P-22, puma, cougar is eating a dead deer in Griffith Park October 2022. This video came from a trail cam, trail camera in Griffith Park around October 28 to October 30, 2022. p22, p-22, mountain lion, cougar, puma, mary cummins, animal advocates, griffith park, los angeles, california, wildlife rescue, wildlife, rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator @animaladvocatesusa @marycummins
p22, necropsy, report, mary cummins,animal advocates, los angeles, california, fish and wildlife,fish & wildlife, mountain lion, puma,cougar,euthanasia, animaladvocates.us
P22 mountain lion necropsy report final and full.This is the result of a state information act I made immediately after P22 was euthanized. There are a lot more documents I'm downloading now so check back. There are also a lot of trail cam and security cam videos. Below is one of P22 washing his face.
Here's another video of P22 with a raccoon. Video is not gross though he probably killed and ate it later.
Mountain Lion from the LA area, P-22. Age estimated around 12 years old. Free-ranging but was losing body condition, changing behavior. Immobilized in the field by CDFW and brought to LA Zoo for diagnostics. Then brought to Safari Park for further evaluation. CT and various other diagnostic testing
revealed diaphragmatic hernia with herniated liver parenchyma and omentum. Renal insufficiency also suspected, along with possible myocardial disease.
Diffuse ectoparasitism with Demodex gatoi also identified. Euthanasia was pursued at the decision of CDFW, and was performed with IV pentobarbital.
After euthanasia, testicles were removed for gamete recovery.
Death Numbers
Death Number Effective Date
0069554 17/Dec/2022
Gross Necropsy
Necropsy Date Carcass Condition Necropsy Location
17/Dec/2022 Fresh SANDIEGOZ NECROPSY LAB
Report Date
17/Dec/2022
Sex: Male Birth Date: 01/Jan/2010 +/- 1 year Age at Submission Date: 12Y,11M,16D +/- 1
Printed: 14/Mar/2023 17:05
Species360 ZIMS version 2.25.5
San Diego Zoo Safari Park Page: 2 of 4
Received is a 44 kg, adult male mountain lion (puma) in fresh postmortem and good to fair body condition with mild generalized muscle atrophy and small to
moderate fat stores. There is patchy alopecia and poor hair coat along the ventral neck, face, ears, distal tail (distal 25 cm), and distal limbs and feet. Two
black, hairless, soft, pedunculated skin nodules are present on the dorsal neck which are 2 x 1.3 x 1.2 cm and 1 x 0.9 x 0.4 cm. A 3.6 x 1.7 cm area of
alopecia caudal to the right eye also has 2 scabs. The right eye has patchy hemorrhage in the dorsal sclera and conjunctiva, and areas of redness overlying
the lateral aspect of the iris within the eye. A small scab is present on the skin over the dorsal aspect of the left eye orbit. Along the right ventral mandible is
a 2 x 0.6 cm crusted ulceration with edema and tan discoloration of the underlying subcutis. Areas of alopecia (~5 x 2 cm) are present over both hips, and
there is a 1 x 0.8 cm abrasion along the lateral metatarsal region of the right hindfoot. Multiple claws are frayed. There is a 0.5 cm diameter skin incision
along the left medial aspect of the stifle (antemortem skin biopsy). Within the right frontal sinus is a small amount of brown clotted blood. The zygomatic
process of the right frontal bone surrounding the right ocular orbit has multiple chip fractures with mild associated hemorrhage.
There is mild hemorrhage in the subcutis and muscle along the lateral aspect of the right shoulder and proximal humerus. Some hemorrhage is also present
around the left jugular venipuncture site in the neck. Fractures of the transverse process of the 7th cervical vertebra and acromion process of the right
scapula noted on CT scan are not readily identified grossly. A thin (<1 mm diameter), approximately 2.5 cm long silver metallic wire foreign body is
embedded along the internal aspect of the caudoventral abdominal midline. The reported metallic pellet in the region of the left hip on CT scan is not found.
Negative pressure is absent in the thorax on opening the abdominal cavity. The lungs are diffusely collapsed and pink. The heart is 218.9 g (0.498% of body
weight), and the mitral valve leaflets are mildly thickened and smoothly nodular. There is a 3 x 2.5 cm hole in the right ventral aspect of the diaphragm
through which a portion of omentum (approximately half) is herniated into the right thoracic cavity. The margin of this diaphragmatic tear is smooth and
rounded with no evidence of hemorrhage. An approximately 1 cm diameter dark red nodule also bulges into this tear which is adjacent to a second
approximately 5 cm diameter tear centrally in the diaphragm. This tear also has smooth edges, and through it bulges into the thoracic cavity a roughly 9 cm
diameter x 4 cm thick section of liver which is discolored and mottled shades of tan, orange and red. There are tight adhesions between the left crus of the
diaphragm and the left lateral lobe of the liver. Pleura and connective tissue is tightly adhered to and encapsulates the intrathoracic herniated portion of liver,
which appears to be a portion of the left medial lobe or papillary process of the caudate lobe. The cystic duct of the gallbladder is sigmoid in shape. The liver
is 1.4 kg (3.2% of body weight), subjectively enlarged with rounded lobe margins, and is diffusely dark tan with a moderately enhanced reticular pattern.
A perihepatic lymph node is mildly enlarged at 7 x 1.5 x 0.7 cm, and the mesenteric lymph nodes are similarly prominent. The spleen is diffusely enlarged,
dark red, and congested (presumed euthanasia artifact). The medullae of both kidneys have mild pale tan streaking to the renal crests. Numerous long
cestodes are present throughout the small intestine. In the dorsal peripheral aspect of the left thyroid gland is a soft, brown, 0.9 x 0.8 x 0.7 cystic nodule
filled with brown cloudy fluid.
crown-rump: 110 cm
subcutaneous fat amount: small
pericardial fat amount: small
abdominal fat amount: moderate
digestive system content:
stomach: full of soft digesta containing abundant fur and some fragments of bone and pieces of hay
small intestine: thick pale yellow fluid and small boluses of fur and hay with numerous long (>20 cm) cestodes
cecum: pasty brown feces containing abundant fur
large intestine: formed feces containing abundant fur
joints examined: atlanto-occipital, right shoulder, left hip, left and right stifles
Preliminary dx:
1. Euthanasia
2. Right eye: mild intra- and peri-ocular hemorrhage
3. Bone, zygomatic process of right frontal bone: multiple chip fractures
4. Right frontal sinus: mild hemorrhage
5. Subcutis and muscle, right shoulder: mild hemorrhage
6. Liver, diaphragm and thoracic cavity: chronic diaphragmatic tears (2) with intrathoracic liver and omentum herniation and entrapment
7. Liver: enhanced reticular pattern
8. Skin, multiple sites (head, neck, distal limbs, distal tail): patchy alopecia and poor hair coat with multiple abrasions, crusts and ulcerations (left and right
orbits, right ventral mandible, right foot)
9. Skin, dorsal neck: pigmented skin tags (2)
10. Kidneys: mild medullary streaking
11. Small intestine: cestodiasis, moderate
12. Left thyroid gland: focal cyst
13. Abdominal body wall: foreign body (metallic wire)
14. Good to fair body condition
Histopathology
Histopathology Report
Histologic dx:
1. Bone, right orbit (zygomatic process of frontal bone): subacute to chronic comminuted fracture with hemorrhage, necrosis, and fibrosis
2. Skin, whole body: 1) mild to moderate epidermal hyperplasia and hyperkeratosis with mild multifocal lymphocytic mural folliculitis and perifollicular
dermatitis, follicular atrophy and loss, and myriad intrafollicular mites (demodicosis, Demodex sp.) and dermatophyte hyphae and spores (dermatophytosis);
2) minimal multifocal granulomatous dermatitis with intralesional fungal elements (pseudomycetoma)
3. Skin and subcutis, right mandible: focally extensive, chronic, ulceration and draining tract with granulation tissue, pyogranulomatous dermatitis and
panniculitis, furunculosis, and intralesional hair shafts
4. Skin, dorsal neck: polyp with multiple cystic follicles
5. Stomach, pylorus: moderate, subacute, regional, neutrophilic and lymphohistiocytic gastritis with glandular microabscesses and intraglandular spiral
bacteria (consistent with Helicobacter sp.)
6. Liver, herniated region: chronic passive congestion with centrilobular atrophy, perivenous and portal fibrosis, focally extensive lipidosis, and capsular
mesothelial hypertrophy
7. Liver: acute diffuse centrilobular congestion, lipogranulomas, and mild Ito cell hyperplasia
9. Heart, left atrioventricular valve: mild myxomatous degeneration (endocardiosis)
10. Arteries and arterioles, heart and kidney: mild multifocal arteriosclerosis and arteriolosclerosis with medial hypertrophy, subintimal fibrosis and
amphophilic hyaline material deposition
11. Kidney: mild multifocal proliferative glomerulonephritis with glomerulosclerosis, periglomerular fibrosis, hypertrophy of Bowman's capsule epithelium,
and minimal multifocal lymphoplasmacytic interstitial nephritis
15. Tonsil and lymph node (left axillary): minimal multifocal granulomatous tonsillitis and lymphadenitis with intralesional fungal elements
16. Lymph node, mesenteric: minimal to mild multifocal pyogranulomatous lymphadenitis
17. Small intestine: luminal cestodes, numerous
ADDENDUM DATED 2023/01/19:
Ancillary test and results:
CAHFS Accession #D2217781 Toxicology results: FINAL
Dx:
Exposure to multiple anticoagulant rodenticides
Exposure to bromethalin
Anticoagulants Screen - Quantitated, Liver
Analyte Result (ppb) Rep. Limit (ppb)
Brodifacoum, 96, 50
Bromadiolone, 530, 50
Chlorophacinone, 87, 50
Coumachlor, Not Detected, 20
Difethialone, 220, 50
Diphacinone, 960, 50
Warfarin, Not Detected, 20
Difenacoum, Not Detected, 20
Bromethalin, Adipose Tissue
Analyte Result (ppb) Rep. Limit (ppb)
Desmethylbromethalin, Trace, 1.0
Final Summary
Final Summary
The many lesions identified in this wild mountain lion on postmortem examination are consistent with the extensive clinical work up, history of recent and
previous trauma, and reported deteriorating condition. Supporting the diagnosis of recent trauma (hit by car 6 days prior to euthanasia) was the histologic
appearance of the right orbital fracture and gross evidence of hemorrhage in the adjacent frontal sinus and right eye. The suspected intraocular hemorrhage
was not present in the examined histologic section of this eye, however, which appeared within normal limits. An inflamed tract/wound along the right
mandible could also have been related to this traumatic event, though it could also have been more chronic. The diaphragmatic tears, through which
omentum and a portion of liver were herniated into the thoracic cavity, appeared to be of much longer duration with smooth margins, mature fibrous
adhesions, and chronic changes in the affected liver lobe. These were presumably the result of previous trauma, the exact timing of which cannot be
determined from the gross or histologic appearance. Although there was evidence of a degree of chronic vascular compromise to the herniated lobe, the
remaining majority of the liver was unaffected and relatively normal histologically.
A presumed major contributor to the deteriorating condition was skin disease. Heavy colonization of hair follicles with dermatophytes and Demodex sp.
mites was seen in all examined sections of skin (face, neck, hip, foot). These combined infections account for the poor condition of the hair coat and
probably some of the systemic inflammatory response evident in the bloodwork and histologically as myeloid hyperplasia and circulating neutrophilia. The
intrafollicular location of the Demodex mites is more consistent with D. cati or the third feline Demodex sp. as opposed to D. gatoi, which colonizes the
stratum corneum. Generalized D. cati infections suggest underlying immunosuppression or other disease. A Microsporum canis species was identified from
antemortem hair samples and is consistent with the fungal/dermatophyte lesions seen, which included both extensive hair colonization and rare microscopic
pseudomycetomas in skin, tonsil, and axillary lymph node. The latter finding is interesting evidence of lymphatic spread of the M. canis infection beyond the
skin, although the lesions were few and small.
Consistent with the advancing age of this animal, there were a variety of relatively mild, non-specific, age-related changes, including valvular endocardiosis,
arteriosclerosis, and renal disease. The renal changes seen primarily involved glomeruli and could be related to chronic inflammation (such as from the skin
disease) or cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension. Glomerular injury accounts for the reported proteinuria. Findings of undetermined cause and
significance included regional gastritis and a small pulmonary venous thrombus. The gastric inflammation involved the pylorus (or possibly the cardia) and
was neutrophilic and damaging to the glands, some of which contained Helicobacter-type spiral bacteria. No other parasites were seen in the stomach. A
specific cause was therefore not identified, but recent stress and Helicobacter could have been involved. In the small intestine, moderate numbers of
cestodes were probably incidental.
Toxicologic analysis of a liver sample for rodenticides (performed by CAHFS) found 5 anticoagulant rodenticides at varying concentrations as well as a trace
amount of bromethalin. Despite exposure to multiple compounds, two at relatively high levels (diphacinone and bromadiolone), there was no evidence of
abnormal hemorrhage that would suggest a coagulopathy due to toxicosis. Bromethalin does not typically result in histologic lesions, but no clinical
(neurologic) signs of bromethalin toxicosis were reported antemortem.
Mountain Lion P22 Killed by Poison, p22, p-22, puma,mountain lion,cougar,mary cummins,animal advocates, animaladvocates.us, marycummins.com, wildlife rehabilitation, los angeles, caliornia, fish, game, poison, anticoagulant, griffith park
Los Angeles' most famous mountain lion P-22 was euthanized by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife December 17, 2022 due to fatal injury and illness. The necropsy report (https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/final-necropsy-results-released-for-mountain-lion-p-22) was released June 14, 2023. It showed his death was caused by exposure to anticoagulant poison and traumatic injury.
The report stated he suffered "recent trauma to his head and right eye, including an orbital fracture." He had "older, significant trauma, including a diaphragmatic rupture, through which the liver and sections of connective tissue from the abdomen had herniated and were inside his chest cavity." The injuries were most likely from a car strike.
He was "underweight, arthritic and had progressive and incurable kidney disease." He had "a severe parasitic skin infection over his entire body, caused by demodectic mange and a fungus, specifically ringworm." Toxicology "revealed exposure to five anticoagulant rodenticides compounds."
Research has shown that long term exposure to anticoagulant poison causes the immune system to be suppressed. The body is no longer able to fight off common parasitic infections such as mites and ringworm. The poison also causes anticoagulant-related nephropathy and results in bleeding in the kidneys which causes kidney failure. Over time the animal becomes weak, dehydrated and unable to easily procure prey animals. This causes the animals to more easily be hit by cars. Poison ultimately killed P-22.
All of the bobcats, foxes, coyotes that we've taken into our wildlife rehabilitation facility over the last 20 years that were hit by cars had major mange mite infestations. They were thin, weak, dehydrated and had poor coat condition just like P22. This was caused by the animals eating poisoned animals. Poisoned animals are easier to catch than healthy ones. People use anticoagulant poison to kill ground squirrels, gophers and rats around homes, golf courses and parks. You can clearly see the poison bait stations scattered all around Griffith Park where P-22 lived. We've taken in many poisoned animals from this park.
The main causes of mountain lion deaths are depredation permits, poison and auto collisions. A depredation permit is a permit to kill a specific mountain lion after they have injured or killed someone's pet or farm animal. The owner of the dead animal requests the permit and a hunter shoots it dead. Some estimate there were or are about 4,000 mountain lions in California. From 2001 to 2018 1,400 were killed by depredation permits per Fish & Wildlife.
The other main cause of death is poison. 96% of mountain lions that have been tested have been exposed to anticoagulant poison per Fish & Wildlife. They are poisoned for their entire lives if they live near human development. This causes kidney failure besides many other health issues similar to what P22 suffered. Poisoned animals are more likely to be hit by cars.
Fish & Wildlife has tried to limit the poisoning but failed because pesticides are not under their jurisdiction. Depredation permits are under their jurisdiction. We need state politicians to step up and call for an emergency injunction to all depredation permits. There also must be tougher restrictions on the use of anticoagulant poison outdoors where non-target wildlife can be poisoned. I've witnessed coyotes sitting right outside poison stations in Griffith Park waiting for the animals to exit so they can eat them.
While wildlife crossings will help some wildlife it may cause others to encroach deeper into developed parts of the city increasing their risk of being killed by depredation permits, poisoning and car strikes. One can only hope our local mountain lions use them to exit the city instead of entering. We owe it to P22 and all of Los Angeles' wildlife to do better. For years people have complained about poison and depredation permits yet nothing has changed. Maybe P22's cruel and agonizing death will be the impetus Los Angeles needs to finally change things.
Mountain lion P-22 died from being hit by a car and poison, california department of fish and game, mary cummins, animal advocates, griffith park, los angeles, california, car, death,died, necropsy, autopsy, puma, cougar, wildlife
The California Department of Fish & Wildlife finally released the necropsy report for Griffith Park mountain lion P-22 who died December 17, 2022. He died as a result of being hit by a car and long term poisoning. He had five different types of anticoagulant poison in his liver, blood and fat. Research has shown that poison causes permanent organ damage especially to the kidneys. Anticoagulants cause serious kidney damage called anticoagulant-related nephropathy (ARN) and results from bleeding in the kidneys. Poison also causes immunosuppression which causes the body to not be able to defend itself from common mites and other conditions. The poison caused P22 to become ill and weak which is most likely why he came closer to humans looking for easier prey. When they become lethargic from the poison they are more easily hit by cars. Poison killed P-22. We must stop poisoning wildlife. Poison and depredation permits cause 100x more mountain lion deaths than cars.
In July of 2011, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife requested California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) restrict the use of anticoagulant rodenticides due to numerous incidents involving direct and indirect poisoning of wildlife. Nothing was done. They requested the same in 1999. While CDFW has no jurisdiction over pesticides they do control depredation permits for mountain lions. In light of the many deaths from poison no new depredation permits should be allowed. An emergency injunction is needed. 1,700 mountain lions have been killed in California with depredation permits from 2001 to 2018. Population estimates were 4,000 total in California. 42% were killed by people who were not willing to protect their pets or farm animals with proper barns or fencing.
We did a State Information Act Request to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife for the necropsy report immediately after P22's death. They repeatedly stalled and stalled stating it was a lot of information to compile and would take more time than allowed by the law. The report was finished within days of P22's death. We've had wildlife necropsied at the same state lab that did P22's toxicology report. It takes a few days max. Immediately after finally writing up a lawsuit to compel production of the information act request they department released the report publicly.
California Department of Fish & Wildlife Press Release About P-22 Necropsy Report
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and National Park Service (NPS) reviewed the final postmortem examination and lab tests from P-22, the beloved mountain lion from Griffith Park. The results confirmed P-22 had been suffering from multiple severe injuries and chronic conditions that impaired his ability to function in the wild and would have lowered his quality of life if placed in human care.
P-22 was captured and anesthetized by CDFW and NPS on December 12, 2022, after scientists noted a recent change in his behavior.
He was transported to the Los Angeles Zoo for initial examination and treatment, then transferred to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for follow-up evaluation, including a computed tomography (CT) scan, where it was discovered that he had serious injuries and health problems. He was euthanized under general anesthesia on December 17, 2022.
The postmortem examination was completed by veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo.
"We are grateful to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Los Angeles Zoo teams," said Deana Clifford, a senior wildlife veterinarian for CDFW. "They provided excellent care for P-22 and conducted a detailed postmortem examination that shed plenty of light on this cat's condition."
Some findings demonstrated that P-22 had recent trauma to his head and right eye, including an orbital fracture with bleeding and early stages of scar tissue development. This is consistent with reports of a vehicle strike the night before he was captured.
P-22 also had injuries consistent with older, significant trauma, including a diaphragmatic rupture, through which the liver and sections of connective tissue from the abdomen had herniated and were inside his chest cavity.
Pathologists determined that this injury was older than the injury to his face and eye due to differences in the stages of scarification associated with each injury.
The examination also confirmed that he was underweight, arthritic and had progressive and incurable kidney disease, as determined before his death. He also had a severe parasitic skin infection over his entire body, caused by demodectic mange and a fungus, specifically ringworm. This is the first documentation of a demodectic mange infection and a concurrent systemic ringworm infection in a California mountain lion.
Toxicology testing on his liver at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (CAHFS) UC Davis revealed exposure to five anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) compounds. However, he had no evidence of AR poisoning (i.e., unexplained bleeding, injury, illness or death due to exposure to the toxicants).
These include first-generation ARs, diphacinone and chlorophacinone, and longer-lasting and faster-acting second-generation ARs, brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone. Diphacinone was also detected in a sample of P-22's blood collected after he was captured, which may indicate recent exposure. Diphacinone was also detected in P-22's blood in 2014 when he was captured by NPS biologists and treated for a different skin infection caused by notoedric mange.
A separate CDFW study tested 247 mountain lions at the CAHFS lab. It showed that 96 percent of tested animals had exposure to one or more ARs. While felids tend to be more resistant to AR poisoning, there have been at least seven AR-related mortalities in Southern California mountain lions over the last 19 years.
Additionally, desmethylbromethalin, the toxic metabolite of bromethalin, was detected in his body fat. Bromethalin is a widely available rodenticide that targets the brain and affects the central nervous system. Signs of bromethalin poisoning include muscle tremors, seizures, hind limb paralysis, respiratory paralysis and eventually death. There was no indication that bromethalin exposure resulted in poisoning on P-22 medical or pathologic exam. How P-22 was exposed to bromethalin, directly or secondarily through prey, is unknown. However, it is believed to be the latter.
P-22 was likely born in the Santa Monica Mountains as the son of adult male P-1. NPS biologists first captured and radio-collared P-22 in March 2012 when he was estimated to be two years old. He was one of the most senior mountain lions in a study the NPS has conducted since 2002.
He persisted for more than 10 years in Griffith Park and in the smallest home range that has ever been recorded for an adult male mountain lion. But life on this tiny “island” did not come without consequence. After crossing two of the busiest freeways in the world, 101 and 405, he would unknowingly become isolated and never produce offspring. His movements and access to natural habitat and prey would be restricted, putting him at increased risk for interactions with people, collisions with cars and exposure to rodenticides. As extraordinary as P-22’s life was - surviving against all odds - it is an increasingly common reality for wildlife.
"P-22 was a fascinating animal to study," said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist of the NPS mountain lion study. "Not only was he an important ambassador for urban wildlife, but his scientific contributions were also many. He helped us understand how mountain lions coexist with humans in this complex urban landscape, and his legacy will live on through our heightened awareness of how to live in harmony with wild neighbors and growing public support for wildlife crossings."
Below is the redacted summary of the necropsy report
spread of the skin fungus was found in a lymph node. Generalized Demodex mite infections
suggest underlying immunosuppression or other disease. The skin disease likely contributed to
the deteriorating medical condition and systemic inflammation.
Age related changes were also noted and included heart valve disease, vascular disease, and
kidney disease. Changes were mild but were irreversible.
Toxicologic analysis of a post mortem liver sample for rodenticides was performed by the
California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) laboratory. Five anticoagulant rodenticides
were detected at varying concentrations. There was no evidence of abnormal hemorrhage or
coagulopathy that would suggest toxicosis, grossly or microscopically. Neurotoxic rodenticide
bromethalin was detected in a trace amount. There were no clinical signs consistent with
bromethalin toxicosis. Bromethalin does not typically result in microscopic lesions. Reported
amounts are below.
Anticoagulants Screen - Quantitated, Liver
Analyte Result (Cummins comment: analyte: chemical being analyzed) (ppb)(Cummins comment: part per billion) Rep. Limit (Cummins comment: reporting limit) (ppb)
Brodifacoum, 96, 50
Bromadiolone, 530, 50
Chlorophacinone, 87, 50
Coumachlor, Not Detected, 20
Difethialone, 220, 50
Diphacinone, 960, 50
Warfarin, Not Detected, 20
Difenacoum, Not Detected, 20
(Comment by Cummins. Notice how much higher the poison amounts are in P22 than reporting limit. He had large amounts in his liver. Much more poison was removed from his body via the liver and kidneys. It still does damage even after it's expelled.)
Bromethalin, Adipose Tissue
Analyte Result (ppb) Rep. Limit (ppb)
Desmethylbromethalin, Trace, 1.0
In summary, there was evidence of recent trauma to the head, a prior traumatic event resulting
in diaphragmatic tears and hernia, significant skin disease due to multiple infectious agents, and
mary cummins, animal advocates, celebration of life, p22, p-22, mountain lion, cougar, puma, los angeles, california, greek theater, griffith park, death, eulogy, legacy, funeral, rodenticide, car, euthanasia
Today February 4, 2022 was the P-22 Celebration of Life event at the Greek Theater in Griffith Park, Hollywood, California. The sponsor was the National Wildlife Federation. Animal Advocates was there along with congressmen Ted Lieu, Adam Schiff, Diplo, The Tokens playing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," Wallis Annenberg representative, Charlton Chuck Bonham of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, Seth Riley, Jeff Sikich and David Szymanski of the National Park Service, Beth Pratt, Griff Griffith, National Geographic photographer Steve Winter, Warren Dixon of 3rd Rock Hip Hop, Francis Appiah drummer Caltrans singer, Alan Salazar tribal elder, Steven Garcia Tongva Indian, Tina Calderon, Rainn Wilson Actor, Friends of Griffith Park, Miguel Ordenana of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Tony Lee filmmaker, Lana Duffy, Laura Friedman, Gavin Newsom via video, Alex Padilla via video, Senator Anthony Portantino, Actor Julia Butters, Wade Crowfoot, Jeremy Guff and many more whom I'll list below.
It was a beautiful 70 degree sunny day. The event did not appear to be sold out as the rear and side sections were empty. The front section was reserved for VIPs and friends of NWF but the rest was general seating. The event ran 1.5 hours long ending at 3:30 pm instead of 2:00 pm. People started leaving around 2 and 2:30 pm.
Beth Pratt of the National wildlife Federation read the eulogy which was in the LA Times. Senator Anthony Portantino presented a California Senate Declaration. Congressman Adam Schiff talked about the new P22 stamp and pro wildlife legislation. Congressman Ted Lieu talked about what P22 meant to California. Actor Julia Butters read a letter she wrote when she was eight about P22 trying to help him. Rainn Wilson Actor sang a song he wrote about P22. The Tokens relatives sang two songs including "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." Governor Gavin Newsom appeared via video as did Senator Alex Padilla.
I posted photos below and will add the video tomorrow. There are videos on our Facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA Here is the full video of the event.
