Beachwood Canyon's Very Sick Mountain Lion: How P-22 was Poisoned
P-22, Sick with Mange/Courtesy latimes.com P-22 When Healthy/Courtesy Friends of Griffith ParkReaders of Under the Hollywood Sign will recall previous posts about the tree rats that populate the Hollywood Hills and the coyotes that (mercifully) cull them. Sadly, the poison that residents sometimes resort to using when rats invade their homes has moved up the food chain, poisoning coyotes and the mountain lions that feed on them. This point was underscored by the revelation that P22, the mountain lion whose nighttime meanderings through Hollywoodland have lately been captured on camera, has been sickened by raticide-related mange.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Griffith-Park-Mountain-Lion-P22-Found-Sick-Possibly-From-Rat-Poison-255617591.html
Park rangers have treated P-22, so it's possible that it will recover. But when the story broke, a neighbor reported another source of poison: the fetid water in the pool of a long-vacant house on Hollyridge Drive. P22 was seen drinking from the pool after the City dumped in mosquito-abating chemicals. When I went up to see the house yesterday, its appearance was dire:
Vacant House on Hollyridge Drive/Hope Anderson Productions
The good news is that the house has just been sold. Let's hope the new owner will drain the pool before tackling what promises to be a lengthy and arduous renovation.