About a year ago, both Italy and United States lost a famous animal ambassador.  Italy lost M-20, nicknamed Juan Carrito, a rare brown bear who lived in the Apennine Mountains, in an area straddling the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise regions.  The United States lost P-22, a rare puma who had made his home in Griffith Park in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles.  Both celebrities had social media followers, both were tracked by radio collar, and both made headlines, particularly for their excursions into human territory.

Juan Carrito was named for Carrito, a tiny Abruzzese town where he was first spotted.  He was killed in a car accident in January 2023.  But throughout his short life, he had become a media star for his daring forays into mountain resorts and ski villages, where he foraged for food and rummaged through trash cans and dumpsters. 

He made international headlines in November 2021 after breaking into a bakery in the mountain town of Roccaraso, stuffing his face with cakes and pastries and trashing the place.  At other times, he had broken into a beehive, and once a famous chef found him roaming around his three-star Michelin restaurant…heading for the kitchen.

Forest rangers captured Juan Carrito twice and took him back into the wild to be re-acclimated away from humans.  Once he was even placed in a bear reserve in the hopes that he would develop a taste for more appropriate food—berries, insects, carcasses, and honey.  But the lure of junk food was just too strong for this rebellious bear.  The last encounter with humans proved fatal for this highly endangered species.  Traffic accidents are the most common cause of death for the Apennine brown bear.

Traffic is a problem for mountain lions as well, as many have died after collisions with vehicles.  Born around 2010 in the western Santa Monica Mountains, P-22 headed east and settled in Griffith Park after crossing two major Los Angeles freeways.  The nine-square mile Park habitat is the smallest recorded range for an adult male mountain lion and an area not conducive to ever finding a mate. 

Yet, P-22 survived for 12 years, which is considered old for the breed even in remote areas.  P-22 was often spotted prowling the neighborhoods around the Hollywood Hills.  The National Park Service captured him in 2014 and treated him for rat poison before releasing him back to Griffith Park.  Then in 2016 the Los Angeles Zoo (located in Griffith Park) found the carcass of an elderly koala outside its enclosure.  Surveillance video showed P-22 nearby on zoo grounds although it did not show an interaction between the two animals. 

Following an attack on two chihuahuas in the city in 2022, P-22 was captured (in a homeowner’s back yard) to evaluate his health.  He was found to be significantly underweight with damage to an eye, possibly due to a vehicle collision the night before.  Further examination revealed serious health issues—skull fractures, herniation of abdominal organs, kidney failure and heart disease.  Euthanasia was the only solution.

Many Angelenos identified with the struggles of P-22—immigrating to Los Angeles despite many barriers, thriving in a hard city, living in a dense, urban environment, and being single.  P-22 had become the subject of multiple books, television programs, and works of art.  Perhaps nothing immortalizes him more than the National Geographic photograph of the puma walking majestically under the “Hollywood” sign that dominates the hills.

Condolences were shared on social media for both M-20 and P-22.  Both animals had been allowed to live in the wild.  Perhaps their scientific legacy will also live on.