It's a tough life for a mountain lion trying to make it in the big city. As a recent video from KCET shows, these impressive predators face immense obstacles to survival as they try to navigate a hostile urban environment populated with some very territorial family members.
The video tracks the exploits of P-22 and P-32 (the "P" stands for puma), two local mountain lions born in the Santa Monica Mountains. (P-22 is the famous Griffith Park Mountain Lion.) Because mountain lions are very protective of their space, both animals had to venture far from home in search of a new habitat, and along the way, they have braved dangerous freeway crossings, ingested rat poison, and, like so many Angelenos, been forced to pose with the Hollywood sign.
It's fascinating to get such an in-depth look at the lives of some of Los Angeles's most rarely seen creatures, but make sure to have a box of tissues handy when viewing. Let's just say there's a good reason Caltrans is trying to build an animal crossing over the 101 (apparently at great cost).
For more on the mountain lions of Southern California, check in with the National Parks Service or visit this strange site that diagrams the lions' very inbred family history.