When a mountain lion was discovered living in Griffith Park a few years ago, beneath the Hollywood sign and surrounded by the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, the world was captivated. This hour-long documentary tells the story of P22, as the male cougar became known, and reveals the efforts of wildlife biologists and conservationists to support the isolated population of puma that live in the Santa Monica Mountains.
How did you learn about this saga?
I knew of P22 through the famous National Geographic photograph of P22 in front of the Hollywood sign, but I wasn't aware of his incredible journey crossing two major freeways, the 405 and the 101, until speaking to Miguel Ordenana, a wildlife biologist at the Natural History Museum of L.A. County. He was the first person to photograph P22 on one of his camera traps in Griffith Park, and after talking to Miguel I knew it was a saga that had to be told.