Mural honoring the debut of the famous LA Mountain Lion P-22

The famous Los Angeles Mountain Lion P-22 that captured the Angelenos heart lives on in a mural honoring Fairfax’s beloved cat.

P-22 is euthanized On December 17th, I was hit by a car and was seriously injured, developing various age-related ailments.

A meeting was held on Sunday Griffith Park We mourn and honor the famous 12-year-old cougar. He was the mascot for Los Angeles Wildlife Conservation.

The P-22 died, but a local artist found a way to keep it alive by painting a new mural in the Fairfax neighborhood of Melrose near Ogden.

The giant artwork features a tall P-22 wearing a golden crown. Next to the cat are his four white doves and the words “Long Live the King” in big letters.

“He’s the King of the Hill,” artist Corey Mattie tells KTLA’s Carlos Saucedo. “He always will be. He’s very dignified and I wanted something that honored him.”

It took Mattie less than 22 hours to complete the mural.

“I’m actually shocked at how many people were affected by his death,” Mattie said. “And so many people love connecting with him, so it’s great to see that. It’s nice to use art therapy, not just for yourself, but for those on the sidelines.”

Mattie said he felt a close connection with the P-22 after seeing it first-hand from a few feet away in the Hollywood Hills earlier this year.

“I actually picked him up thinking it was my brother’s dog, but it wasn’t mine,” Mattie recalls.

In October, Mattie also painted another mural honoring the P-22 at Silverlake. This area was the furthest south a cougar has ever roamed.

Born in the Santa Monica Mountains, the P-22 crossed the 405 and 101 Freeways about ten years ago. The P-22 inspired the creation of one of the largest wildlife crossings in the country.

Mattie explains that if you look close enough to the P-22’s eyes in her mural, you can spot two white pigeons staring back.

“The conversation about awareness and protection in Los Angeles will move forward,” said Mattie. “I really don’t think there’s any other cat that could take the place of that. [P-22] He was the original — he’s an OG — he’s been through so much that the other cat has to earn that right. ”

Mattie’s mural also includes a QR code that, when scanned, directs viewers to resources to save endangered wild cats like the P-22.