April 14--Wildlife officials pelted the green-eyed big cat with tennis balls and bean bags. They poked him with a long pole. In the end, biologists decided what mountain lion P-22 really needed was a little space.
With the famed puma gone from the crawl space of a home in Los Feliz early Tuesday, California Fish and Wildlife authorities declared their efforts to oust him a success.
"This wasn't a lion that was threatening people," said Janice Mackey, a Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman. "The best course of action is to let the lion return to his habitat on his own. We always strive for that."
Made famous by a slinky cat walk captured by National Geographic cameras in front of the Hollywood sign, P-22's latest brief appearance has again captivated the public, drawing wide media coverage.
Biologists aren't sure exactly when the cougar slipped away from Jason and Paula Archinaco's sleek white contemporary. But it appears he immediately returned to Griffith Park, where the 6-year-old, 130-pound animal has ranged for the last three years.
Around 11:30 a.m., Jeff Sikich, a wildlife biologist with the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, used telemetry gear to pick up a ping from P-22's collar in a remote canyon of the park.
"He moved north and is in an undisclosed location,'' Sikich said.
The biologist called it the best possible outcome. Most mountain lions remain elusive and out of sight, he noted. But, he added, "they are wild and unpredictable animals. The more we encroach upon them, the more opportunities we are going to have to see these lions."
On Monday, P-22 was discovered by two workers installing a security system as part of a home renovation. One worker says he came eyeball to eyeball with the cat and alerted the homeowners to their uninvited guest.
"He was just lying there looking like, 'What? I don't understand what the hullabaloo is about,''' homeowner Paula Archinaco said.
Leaving the cougar to nest inside the crawl space was never an option, officials said.
"From a safety angle, it would not be a good idea," said Armando Navarrete, a team leader with Los Angeles Animal Services. "I don't believe we can allow it to stay there."
After shooting tennis balls and bean bags, and poking him with a stick, officials decided the cougar wouldn't be easily rattled and took a different tack. They shooed away the media, reducing the lights and glare around his temporary den.
Around 1 a.m., the team of biologists also decamped. Even one person staying behind might have kept P-22 from vacating the premises, authorities said. Jason Archinaco said he and his wife never heard a sound.
P-22 has become something of a cult figure since he was discovered living in Griffith Park more than three years ago. Scientists, who surmised that he crossed the 405 and 101 freeways to reach the park, successfully captured him and attached a GPS collar.
Using remote cameras, a National Geographic photographer snapped images of P-22 with city lights and the Hollywood sign behind him, cementing his reputation.
A Department of Fish and Wildlife warden confirmed from the lion's ear tag and collar that it was P-22. Officials seemed ecstatic to see that the cougar appeared healthy and in decent spirits.
Interactions between mountain lions and human beings are increasing as people put their homes deeper into lion habitat, said David Baron, a science writer in Boulder, Colo., and author of "The Beast in the Garden," a book about the mountain lion-human conflict.
Baron said P-22 "probably spends more time under houses than anyone knows." He said P-22 might have learned a lesson with his latest brush with fame.
"I would suspect," he said, "that all those news crews and helicopters are providing some very serious aversive conditioning."
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UPDATE
12:45 p.m.: This story was updated to report the mountain lion was located back in Griffith Park.
9:37 a.m: This story was updated to report the mountain lion was no longer under the house.
April 14, 6:07 a.m.: This story was updated with additional details.
7:20 p.m.: This story was updated to include that the crawl space under the Los Feliz home was blocked off.
6:14 p.m.: This story was updated to include comments from Janice Mackey.
This story was originally published April 13 at 5:53 p.m.
