Chihuahua Dies After Celebrity Mountain Lion ‘P-22’ Aggressively Pounces on Pet Dogs

A mountain lion with celebrity status known as "P-22" shocked a man walking several pet dogs when he pounced on and killed a chihuahua in the Griffith Park-Hollywood neighborhood.

In the Griffith Park-Silver Lake-Hollywood region, a mountain lion that frequents residential areas is reportedly becoming more aggressive.

A man walking his dog in the Hollywood Hills on Friday witnessed one of his animals being attacked by what is likely P-22, the mountain lion who has gained some notoriety due to his presence in the city.

Early in the evening, the man was out walking the dogs when the incident occurred.

Terrifying Oreal

The mountain lion was seen on security footage at Creston and Durand Drives coming out of the trees and onto a residential street close to the Hollywood Reservoir.

Piper, a small chihuahua, was attacked by the mountain lion after it spotted the dogs.

The man claimed to have felt Piper being pulled and heard her squeal. All he remember was seeing a face. At the time, he was unsure of what it was.

It was something like a two or three-second struggle, he continued. He claimed that Piper was in the mountain lion's mouth. The dog walker, who was never given the chance, didn't even hear P-22 make a move, and the predator made no growls at all.

Piper didn't make it. The second dog sustained no harm, Deadline reports.

The owner of Piper, Daniel Jimenez, was out celebrating the birthday of his daughter when the incident took place. He received a text message informing him that a mountain lion had attacked and killed his dog. Jimenez initially believed it to be a joke, but it turned out to be true, and they were just shocked. Jimenez doesn't hold the mountain lion responsible, claiming it was merely engaging in what wild animals do in their natural state: hunting for food.

To prevent something similar from happening again, Jimenez stated that he doesn't want anything terrible to happen to P-22 and simply wants everyone to be safe.

P-22: The Mountain Lion with a Celebrity Status

The well-known P-22 mountain lion, which is actually a male cougar, has been spotted in Los Angeles' hipster hotspot Silver Lake, which is both residential and commercial. The location is about a mile to a mile and a half from P-22's typical Griffith Park territory, where he typically stays in the high mountain country and is infrequently seen by people. The area is very urban and heavily trafficked.

Although the 12-year-old P-22 is a potentially dangerous wild animal, his notoriety is undeniable, and locals eagerly report their sightings of him. A 2017 documentary titled The Cat That Changed America, a museum exhibition, a mural in Watts, and a kids' coloring book were all inspired by a National Geographic photo spread featuring a close-up photo of P-22.

P-22 is typically only visible on Hollywood Hills security cameras, but during one notable visit in 2015, he camped out in a nearby crawlspace, Yahoo News reports.