Letters to the Editor: P-22, L.A.’s wildlife ambassador, was our neighborhood cat

To the editor: When I was 4 years old, a family of raccoons would visit a tree just outside my backyard fence at night. My mom suggested that I put sand at the bottom of the tree to see if they would leave any tracks and, to my delight, they did.

And so began my understanding of our coexistence with wildlife. Little did I know at the time that the pathway on the side of my house was actually a superhighway for the spectacular creatures in my neighborhood — including the elusive P-22.

A few years ago, my parents installed a security camera on the side of our house that became a wildlife cam. The Griffith Park mountain lion made many appearances outside our home over the years, along with bobcats, skunks and other creatures.

One thing I found fascinating was that P-22 clearly paused at the edge of the street and looked both ways before crossing, just as people do. Clearly, P-22 knew this was dangerous, but he often had no choice but to cross roads in search of food or a mate.

I feel beyond blessed to have had this chance to observe P-22. His survival for 10 years in Griffith Park was a miracle on so many levels, and we need miracles in our lives. So, thank you, P-22, for giving us the chance to root for you every day and for being a shining example of how coexisting with wildlife is not only possible but imperative.

Lana C. Duffy, Hollywood Hills

..

To the editor: In all the attention on P-22’s amazing journey and his feline tenacity for survival, let’s not forget another astonishing fact — for 10 years, Griffith Park sustained this big cat.

Beyond playgrounds, the Hollywood Sign and golf courses, this urban wilderness provided P-22 with everything he needed: food, shelter and a territory, albeit an incredibly small one.

I wish everyone would see Griffith Park as not just a pleasant place for a picnic (which is most certainly is), but realize that beyond its hiking trails are steep canyons, rolling hillsides and rocky peaks, a true untouched wilderness.

Griffith Park is our Yosemite. It deserves to be congratulated on nurturing not just one top predator for a decade, but also the coyotes, deer, rabbits, toads, bobcats, plant life, underground critters and soaring raptors every single day.

How best to honor P-22? Let’s view Griffith Park as a wilderness to cherish and protect.

Brenda Rees, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: I remember walking with my dog Trixie in Bronson Canyon near our home on Spring Oak Drive back in the 1950s when she began barking at something on a tree limb.

It was a beautiful puma, smaller than our beloved P-22, and as it hissed at Trixie I was able to get her leash attached and we both walked backward away from the tree. A scary kind of walk, but at least in a shared domestic-wildlife environment.

Kudos to the staff of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for its tender care when it comes to dealing with our local wildlife.

Morley J. Helfand, Arcadia