Lonely Cougars in Los Angeles Need Safe Passage to Love

Beth Pratt | Last Updated: January 8, 2016

Los Angeles’s loneliest bachelor, P-22, can use all the help he can get to find love this Valentine’s Day! The plight of P-22 has been featured around the world, from the front page of the Wall Street Journal to the radio waves of the BBC. P-22 crossed two major freeways in his search for a home, and currently lives in the middle of Los Angeles, in the small green space of Griffith Park. He is surrounded by freeways on all sides, and unless he risks braving traffic again, or a female lion duplicates his near impossible feat, he will probably never find a mate.

p23 crossing road — Crossing freeways to find a mate can prove deadly for Los Angeles area mountain lions. (Photo National Park Service)

Sadly, P22 may be destined to remain a lonely bachelor, which is unfortunate considering his soul mate could be really close. The female mountain lion “dating pool” in the surrounding areas is bountiful, yet P-22 and other male mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains have a hard time getting a date since crossing deadly traffic is a surefire way to kill any romance. A wildlife crossing that NWF is advocating for could provide the ideal match for all these lions looking for love. If only cougars could use Tinder to find their perfect matches.

Bachelor Profile: P-22 of Griffith Park, Los Angeles
Likes: Hiking, naps by the Hollywood reservoir, deer meat
Dislikes: Freeways, Cars, rodenticides

Meet the Ladies:

P13: She is a seasoned cougar! Her homerange is the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains and she has already successfully raised two litters.

P19: She’s a survivor—the only one to last from her litter, and she’s also had her own kittens, so P22 can rest easy knowing she has the maternal instincts needed.

P-23: Like P-22, she’s not camera shy and knows how to maximize a social media moment. When she took down a deer on Mulholland Highway, the photos snapped by a surprised cyclist went viral. She’s our top pick! Quite the CATch—high compatibility score and obviously is an independent cat!

Although these females could be ideal matches and P22 would definitely be swiping to the right on the CougarTinder App, the likelihood of them connecting is slim. P22 remains isolated in Griffith Park, cut off from other populations by the surrounding freeways and urban expanse. These massive roads are major barriers to the movement of mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains and they also pose a more long-term threat their survival.

Don’t leave it up to Cupid! Donate to #SaveLACougars this Valentines Day to support a wildlife crossing at Liberty Canyon and help all the lonely cougars find a safe passage to love!