#HARMONY VET SAN DIEGO HOW TO#
He helped us understand how mountain lions coexist with humans in this complex urban landscape, and his legacy will live on through our heightened awareness of how to live in harmony with wild neighbors and growing public support for wildlife crossings.”įor more information about P-22’s life and legacy, visit the NPS puma profile.I took 2 of my 3 dogs here today for the first time (I did bring all 3 in at the same time which I will never do again-one at a time for now on for my sanity as well as the staffs lol). “Not only was he an important ambassador for urban wildlife, but his scientific contributions were also many. “P-22 was a fascinating animal to study,” said Jeff Sikich, the lead field biologist of the NPS mountain lion study. As extraordinary as P-22’s life was – surviving against all odds – it is an increasingly common reality for wildlife. His movements and access to natural habitat and prey would be restricted, putting him at increased risk for interactions with people, collisions with cars and exposure to rodenticides. After crossing two of the busiest freeways in the world, 101 and 405, he would unknowingly become isolated and never produce offspring. But life on this tiny “island” did not come without consequence. He persisted for more than 10 years in Griffith Park and is the smallest home range that has ever been recorded for an adult male mountain lion. He was one of the most senior mountain lions in a study the NPS has conducted since 2002. NPS biologists first captured and radio-collared P-22 in March 2012 when he was estimated to be two years old. P-22 was likely born in the Santa Monica Mountains as the son of adult male P-1. However, it is believed to be the latter. How P-22 was exposed to bromethalin, directly or secondarily through prey, is unknown. There was no indication that bromethalin exposure resulted in poisoning on P-22 medical or pathologic exam. Signs of bromethalin poisoning include muscle tremors, seizures, hind limb paralysis, respiratory paralysis and eventually death. Bromethalin is a widely available rodenticide that targets the brain and affects the central nervous system. While felids tend to be more resistant to AR poisoning, there have been at least seven AR-related mortalities in Southern California mountain lions over the last 19 years.Īdditionally, desmethylbromethalin, the toxic metabolite of bromethalin, was detected in his body fat. It showed that 96 percent of tested animals had exposure to one or more ARs.
#HARMONY VET SAN DIEGO SKIN#
Diphacinone was also detected in P-22’s blood in 2014 when he was captured by NPS biologists and treated for a different skin infection caused by notoedric mange.Ī separate CDFW study tested 247 mountain lions at the CAHFS lab. Diphacinone was also detected in a sample of P-22’s blood collected after he was captured, which may indicate recent exposure. These include first-generation ARs, diphacinone and chlorophacinone, and longer-lasting and faster-acting second-generation ARs, brodifacoum, bromadiolone and difethialone. However, he had no evidence of AR poisoning (i.e., unexplained bleeding, injury, illness or death due to exposure to the toxicants).
Toxicology testing on his liver at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (CAHFS) UC Davis revealed exposure to five anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) compounds. This is the first documentation of a demodectic mange infection and a concurrent systemic ringworm infection in a California mountain lion. He also had a severe parasitic skin infection over his entire body, caused by demodectic mange and a fungus, specifically ringworm. The examination also confirmed that he was underweight, arthritic and had progressive and incurable kidney disease, as determined before his death. Pathologists determined that this injury was older than the injury to his face and eye due to differences in the stages of scarification associated with each injury.
P-22 also had injuries consistent with older, significant trauma, including a diaphragmatic rupture, through which the liver and sections of connective tissue from the abdomen had herniated and were inside his chest cavity. This is consistent with reports of a vehicle strike the night before he was captured.
Some findings demonstrated that P-22 had recent trauma to his head and right eye, including an orbital fracture with bleeding and early stages of scar tissue development. “They provided excellent care for P-22 and conducted a detailed postmortem examination that shed plenty of light on this cat’s condition.” “We are grateful to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Los Angeles Zoo teams,” said Deana Clifford, a senior wildlife veterinarian for CDFW. The postmortem examination was completed by veterinary pathologists at the San Diego Zoo.
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