ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how a puma known as P-22 became a transformative figure who influenced public perceptions of the landscape of the city of Los Angeles, USA. P-22 became a local celebrity in Los Angeles after taking up residence in a major urban park that humans had previously not considered accessible to, or appropriate for, pumas. Living in the park for a decade, and visiting residential neighborhoods outside of it, P-22 disrupted boundaries between urban and “wild” landscapes and challenged dominant ideas about where in the landscape what types of free-roaming animals belong. Conservation advocates mobilized P-22’s story to educate the public about how humans have fragmented puma habitats and to generate support for their reconnection. His life and death became focal points for community engagement and a rallying call for significant infrastructure projects aimed at wildlife connectivity, most especially the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. P-22’s life in a city park supported reimagining Los Angeles as an urban hub that values ecological coexistence and conservation and that is willing to (re)modify the landscape to eventuate the continued presence of animal residents.
