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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/11/los-angeles-mountain-lion-griffith-park-sculpture>
"The city of Los Angeles will memorialize its most famous mountain lion with a
bronze sculpture at Griffith Park, the 4,200-acre (1,700-hectare) stretch of
land the cougar once roamed.
Known as “P-22”, the number assigned by the team of biologists that first
identified him, the lion gained national fame after photographer Steve Winter
captured an iconic image of him prowling through Griffith Park with the
Hollywood sign in the background.
The sculpture, by Los Angeles artist Adam Matano, will be installed at the
park’s visitor center, according to the National Wildlife Federation, which
championed the project through its Safe LA Cougars campaign.
Matano’s interest in how wild animals navigate the encroachment of our growing
cities dates back to his teen years, he said. He grew up in Rhode Island,
surrounded by empty lots. But by the time he reached his teen years, they had
been developed into homes.
“I love my favorite hiking spots,” Matano said. “But I kept thinking, ‘what
happens to the animals?’”
His sculpture shows a muscular P-22 stepping down from one podium to a second,
more freeform and rocky pedestal. The rear podium contains a series of panels
depicting local wildlife navigating the city environment – a mule deer
crouching through a broken fence, a coyote ambling along against a backdrop of
downtown LA, a raccoon and a gray fox in front of the Atwater bridge and the 5
freeway.
“It’s about how you can’t contain nature,” Matano said. “Most people would
think it woud be impossible for a mountain lion to live inside the city. But
P-22 showed it is possible to co-exist. We should include nature when we design
our cities.”"
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
