P-22, the beloved mountain lion who roamed the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles for over a decade, was laid to rest in a tribal ceremony over the weekend, a spokesperson for the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy confirmed on Monday.
The cougar was buried in the Santa Monica Mountains as part of a collaboration with local Native American tribes, California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, and the U.S. National Park Service, an NPS spokesperson told KTLA.
The exact location was not disclosed “to protect and preserve the site.”
Native tribes had originally pushed for the P-22 to be buried in L.A.’s Griffith Park where it settled after leaving the Santa Monica Mountains and traversing two freeways.
In December, wildlife officials decided to capture P-22 after it attacked and killed a leashed dog and was exhibiting other signs of distress. Veterinarians determined it had severe injuries, likely from getting hit by a car, and was also suffering from age-related illnesses, so the difficult decision was made to euthanize.
P-22 was believed to be 12 years old.
The Natural History Museum had previously announced that P-22 would not be taxidermied and put on display since Native Americans consider cougars to be sacred.
