09/10/2026
A Statue Celebrating the Legacy of P-22, Hollywood’s Iconic Mountain Lion, is Coming to Griffith Park, His Longtime Refuge in the Middle of Los Angeles
A generous donation by Joann and Frank Randall will fund a special sculpture of Los Angeles’ beloved P-22 mountain lion.
Titled "Earth to City: Rhaposdy of the Wild King," the statue is the work of a talented local LA artist and celebrates how one mountain lion forever changed how Angelenos and people everywhere view the importance of learning to live with the wildlife that surrounds us.
The National Wildlife Federation campaign and Friends of Griffith Park announced today that Joann and Frank Randall have generously donated all of the funding that is needed to create a special sculpture of the iconic P-22 mountain lion, who lived in Griffith Park in the heart of Hollywood for over a decade.
The statue, crafted by Los Angeles-based artist Adam Matano, will underscore the remarkable legacy that P-22 created by forever changing how Angelenos and people all over the world understand urban wildlife conservation and coexistence. The statue, which will have a permanent place in a special spot at the Griffith Park Visitors Center, will also create a unique space inside the cat’s former home where people will be able to celebrate and reflect on their connection to P-22’s story and the natural world.
Friends of Griffith Park and the National Wildlife Federation’s campaign sponsored the project, and worked with Matano, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, and Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman to bring this statue to the City of Los Angeles.
Joann Randall, a longstanding supporter of conservation causes, generously donated the entire cost to create the statue. A plaque at the statue installation site will honor Joann and her late husband Frank Randall for their special contribution.
Matano has completed the clay art form, a meticulous process with tremendous detail that has taken many months. The statue will now head to the foundry, where it will take shape in bronze before it is installed in Griffith Park at a date to be announced in the future. (Photo credit: Patrick Churvis.)
In 2012, a group of biologists working on the Griffith Park Connectivity Study, initiated and funded by Friends of Griffith Park, discovered that P-22 was living in Griffith Park. Incredibly, P-22 had managed to cross two of Los Angeles’ busiest freeways without being hurt and would go on to live in one of the most visited urban parks in the country and roam Hollywood neighborhoods for nearly a decade. In 2013, National Geographic photographer Steve Winter captured P-22 with the legendary Hollywood sign set against the night sky, and this iconic image made P-22 an international sensation.
In December of 2022, after more than a decade living in Griffith Park, P-22 showed signs of distress and was humanely euthanized by wildlife officials. The response to P-22’s loss was unprecedented. Thousands of Angelenos, students from communities across the city, musicians and more – came together for a sold-out celebration of P-22’s life, where attendees reflected on the mountain lion’s story, impact and enduring legacy, at LA’s Greek Theatre in early 2023. In the months following the Greek Theater celebration, a discussion emerged around ways to permanently memorialize P-22 and the idea of an appropriate statue to honor his legacy was born.
As a longstanding supporter of Friends of Griffith Park and the National Wildlife Federation’s campaign, Joann Randall was inspired to support the project. A steadfast conservationist and animal lover, Joann also holds Griffith Park very close to her heart since she spent much time there in her youth with her family.
After a public call for submissions, dozens of artists submitted their ideas for the P-22 sculpture – with local sculptor Adam Matano’s proposal selected for his formidable sculpting skills and dedication to artistic pieces that reflect the resilience and fragility of the natural world. The artist has named his sculpture, “Earth to City: Rhapsody of the Wild King.”
https://friendsofgriffithpark.org/p-22/
