Mountain lion P-22 was “compassionately euthanized” after showing signs of physical trauma. Here’s how he went from a nuisance cat to a symbol of Los Angeles.

• Bergleeuw P-22 was euthanized on Saturday after suffering from injuries and illnesses.

• There was “no hope of a positive outcome” for P-22 to live, conservationists announced.

• P-22 was 12 years old at the time of his death.

The iconic California mountain lion P-22 was “compassionately euthanized” Saturday, conservationists announced, after suffering from multiple injuries and illnesses.

P-22 — who spent much of his life in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park — was captured Monday after suspicions he was “showing signs of distress,” the California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.

The distress calls included the killing of a leashed chihuahua in the Hollywood Hills on Nov. 9, CDFW said in a statement. P-22 attempted to kill a second Chihuahua on Dec. 8.

After the P-22’s capture, a series of tests on the mountain lion revealed that he had suffered trauma to his head, right eye, and internal organs from being hit by a vehicle. The tests also revealed that the mountain lion suffered from multiple ailments, including kidney disease, significant weight loss, arthritis and a parasitic skin infection all over his body.

“P-22’s advanced age, combined with chronic, debilitating, life-shortening conditions and the clear need for extensive long-term veterinary intervention, left P-22 with no hope of a positive outcome,” the CDFW said in a statement. “His poor condition indicated that he may also have additional underlying conditions that had not yet been fully characterized by diagnostics.”

At the time of his death, P-22 was 12 years old – an advanced age for mountain lions, who typically live to be 13 years old.

California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to the news on Twitterwriting that P-22 helped “inspire a new era of urban preservation” in the state of California.

“P-22 was an icon,” Newsom wrote in his tweet.

California Rep. Ted Lieu wrote “Rest in peace” on Twitter, while his colleague, California Representative Adam Schiff, wrote that he was “heartbroken” by the news of the P-22’s death.

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“He was our favorite celebrity neighbor, occasional troublemaker, and beloved LA mascot,” Schiff wrote on Twitter. “But above all, he was a magnificent, wild creature, reminding us that we are part of a natural world that is much bigger than ourselves.

Actress Valerie Bertinelli shared one heartbreak emoji on twitter in response to the news.

P-22, who has been key to the area’s mountain lion research, was likely born in the Santa Monica Mountains. He was able to cross Highways 101 and 405 and settle in Griffith Park — now the smallest range for an adult mountain lion on record, according to the National Park Service.

A local celebrity in his own right, the cat was known for traversing LA neighborhoods and sometimes getting into mischief. P-22 made headlines for hiding under a house in Los Feliz, was blamed for killing a koala at the Los Angeles Zoo, and survived after being exposed to rat poison.

In a eulogy for the beloved cat, Beth Pratt, executive director of California’s National Wildlife Federation, wrote that P-22 “never became a mountain lion” due to the lack of space for wildlife he experienced when he was in the heart van Los lived. Angels.

“I hope his future is filled with endless forests with no car or road in sight and where deer abound, and I hope he finally finds the mate that existence on the island has denied him all his life,” wrote Pratt.

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