Letters to the Editor: Put P-22 on L.A.’s city flag, and other ways to honor our beloved puma

To the editor: We all know that the California state flag has a grizzly bear on it. Does any of us even know what Los Angeles’ city flag looks like? I looked it up recently, and my only memory of it is that it’s a bit garish.

May I suggest putting our beloved mountain lion P-22 on a re-designed city flag? It would represent our dedication to cohabiting with wildlife and also our support for all the immigrants who have made a hard trek here, just as P-22 did crossing two highways to reach Griffith Park.

Evelyn Thompson, Woodland Hills

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To the editor: With many of my fellow Angelenos, I mourn the passing of P-22. I hope a dignified, permanent memorial can be made for him, perhaps a bronze statue at the Fern Dell Drive entrance to Griffith Park in Los Feliz, alongside the charming bear cub statue that has stood there for so many years.

A second appropriate action would be to prohibit further “improvements” that encroach on the wildlands in the park, such as the proposed overhaul of much of the Los Angeles Zoo.

Please leave this and other wild areas in our city intact for our quadrupeds and bipeds to enjoy as nature endowed us.

Philip Baer, North Hollywood

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To the editor: Our freeways and highways all have official names — for instance, the 210 is the Foothill Freeway, and much of the 110 is the Harbor Freeway.

With the passing of our beloved P-22, I think the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway should be simply be referred to as the P-22.

Robert V. Labaree, Los Angeles

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To the editor: Now that the aging P-22 has been executed for preying on high-end chihuahuas, it is time to consider a fitting memorial.

Rather than the dubious distinction of the Walk of Fame or a plaque in Griffith Park that no one will ever read, L.A. should honor him with a life-size statue depicting P-22 in all his youthful wild majesty. Many Angelenos would donate to such a project.

And while we’re at it, let’s call him by his full name, Puma-22, the mountain lion that left his indelible pawprint on human civilization.

Leigh Clark, Granada Hills

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To the editor: P-22 deserves a star on Hollywood Boulevard. He was a much a celebrity as anyone immortalized there.

Dika Ryan, Los Angeles