Joint Information Liberate
The California Division of Fish and Natural world (CDFW) and Nationwide Park Carrier (NPS) reviewed the general postmortem exam and lab exams from P-22, the loved mountain lion from Griffith Park. The effects showed P-22 have been affected by more than one serious accidents and persistent stipulations that impaired his skill to serve as within the wild and would have decreased his high quality of lifestyles if positioned in human care.
P-22 was once captured and anesthetized by means of CDFW and NPS on December 12, 2022, after scientists famous a contemporary alternate in his habits.
He was once transported to the Los Angeles Zoo for preliminary exam and remedy, then transferred to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for follow-up analysis, together with a computed tomography (CT) scan, the place it was once came upon that he had critical accidents and well being issues. He was once euthanized underneath common anesthesia on December 17, 2022.
The postmortem exam was once finished by means of veterinary pathologists on the San Diego Zoo.
“We’re thankful to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Los Angeles Zoo groups,” mentioned Deana Clifford, a senior natural world veterinarian for CDFW. “They equipped superb take care of P-22 and carried out an in depth postmortem exam that shed a variety of mild in this cat’s situation.”
Some findings demonstrated that P-22 had contemporary trauma to his head and proper eye, together with an orbital fracture with bleeding and early levels of scar tissue building. That is in line with studies of a automobile strike the evening prior to he was once captured.
P-22 additionally had accidents in line with older, vital trauma, together with a diaphragmatic rupture, during which the liver and sections of connective tissue from the stomach had herniated and had been within his chest hollow space.
Pathologists decided that this harm was once older than the harm to his face and eye because of variations within the levels of scarification related to every harm.
The exam additionally showed that he was once underweight, arthritic and had revolutionary and incurable kidney illness, as decided prior to his demise. He additionally had a serious parasitic pores and skin an infection over his whole frame, brought about by means of demodectic mange and a fungus, particularly ringworm. That is the primary documentation of a demodectic mange an infection and a concurrent systemic ringworm an infection in a California mountain lion.
Toxicology trying out on his liver on the California Animal Well being and Meals Protection Laboratory (CAHFS) UC Davis printed publicity to 5 anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) compounds. On the other hand, he had no proof of AR poisoning (i.e., unexplained bleeding, harm, sickness or demise because of publicity to the toxicants).
Those come with first-generation ARs, diphacinone and chlorophacinone, and longer-lasting and faster-acting second-generation ARs, brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone. Diphacinone was once additionally detected in a pattern of P-22’s blood gathered after he was once captured, which might point out contemporary publicity. Diphacinone was once additionally detected in P-22’s blood in 2014 when he was once captured by means of NPS biologists and handled for a unique pores and skin an infection brought about by means of notoedric mange.
A separate CDFW find out about examined 247 mountain lions on the CAHFS lab. It confirmed that 96 p.c of examined animals had publicity to a number of ARs. Whilst felids have a tendency to be extra immune to AR poisoning, there were no less than seven AR-related mortalities in Southern California mountain lions over the past 19 years.
Moreover, desmethylbromethalin, the poisonous metabolite of bromethalin, was once detected in his frame fats. Bromethalin is a broadly to be had rodenticide that goals the mind and impacts the central fearful gadget. Indicators of bromethalin poisoning come with muscle tremors, seizures, hind limb paralysis, respiration paralysis and ultimately demise. There was once no indication that bromethalin publicity ended in poisoning on P-22 clinical or pathologic examination. How P-22 was once uncovered to bromethalin, immediately or secondarily thru prey, is unknown. On the other hand, it’s believed to be the latter.
P-22 was once most probably born within the Santa Monica Mountains because the son of grownup male P-1. NPS biologists first captured and radio-collared P-22 in March 2012 when he was once estimated to be two years outdated. He was once probably the most senior mountain lions in a find out about the NPS has carried out since 2002.
He continued for greater than 10 years in Griffith Park and in the smallest house vary that has ever been recorded for an grownup male mountain lion. However lifestyles in this tiny “island” didn’t come with out result. After crossing two of the busiest freeways on the planet, 101 and 405, he would unknowingly turn out to be remoted and not produce offspring. His actions and get entry to to herbal habitat and prey could be limited, striking him at higher chance for interactions with other folks, collisions with automobiles and publicity to rodenticides. As bizarre as P-22’s lifestyles was once – surviving in opposition to all odds – it’s an more and more not unusual fact for natural world.
“P-22 was once a captivating animal to check,” mentioned Jeff Sikich, the lead box biologist of the NPS mountain lion find out about. “Now not simplest was once he the most important ambassador for city natural world, however his medical contributions had been additionally many. He helped us know the way mountain lions coexist with people on this advanced city panorama, and his legacy will survive thru our heightened consciousness of learn how to reside in unity with wild neighbors and rising public reinforce for natural world crossings.”
For more info about P-22’s lifestyles and legacy, discuss with the NPS puma profile.
Be told extra about CDFW’s efforts to enhance natural world connectivity and to teach Californians about residing with natural world.
For more info, please evaluation the ultimate necropsy abstract (PDF).
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Media contacts:
Jordan Traverso, CDFW Communications, (916) 212-7352
Ana Beatriz Cholo, Nationwide Park Carrier, (805) 750-9356
NPS has been learning mountain lions in and across the Santa Monica Mountains for the final twenty years to decide how they live on in a fragmented and urbanized atmosphere. CDFW is accountable for overseeing the control and conservation of mountain lions within the state.
The challenge of CDFW is to regulate California’s various fish, natural world and plant sources, and the habitats on which they rely, for his or her ecological values and for his or her use and pleasure by means of the general public.