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A4 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 8 March 2023
Tribes bury Southern California’s famed mountain lion, P-22

By STEFANIE DAZIO called the burial a “histori-
Associated Press cally significant ceremo-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tribal ny.” “The death of P-22 has
leaders, scientists and con- affected all of us and he
servation advocates bur- will forever be a revered
ied Southern California’s icon and ambassador for
most famous mountain lion wildlife conservation,” the
Saturday in the mountains museum said in a state-
where the big cat once ment Monday.
roamed. Salazar, who attended the
After making his home in ceremony, said he believes
the urban Griffith Park — P-22’s legacy will help wild-
home of the Hollywood life officials and scientists
Sign — for the past de- realize the importance of
cade, P-22 became a sym- being respectful to animals
bol for California’s endan- going forward.
gered mountain lions and Beth Pratt, the California
their decreasing genetic executive director for the
diversity. The mountain National Wildlife Federa-
lion’s name comes from tion who also attended
being the 22nd puma in a the ceremony, wrote on
National Park Service study. Facebook that the burial “
The death of the cougar helped me achieve some
late last year set off a de- This Nov. 2014, file photo provided by the U.S. National Park Service shows a mountain lion known measure of peace” as she
bate between the tribes in as P-22, photographed in the Griffith Park area near downtown Los Angeles. grieves the animal’s death.
the Los Angeles area and Associated Press “I can also imagine P-22 at
wildlife officials over wheth- tain lions are regarded as ward a conclusion about the animal in the future or peace now, with such a
er scientists could keep relatives and considered some of the samples,” the if the tribes have agreed powerful and caring send-
samples of the mountain teachers in LA’s tribal com- state Department of Fish to let scientists keep some off to the next place,” she
lion’s remains for future test- munities. and Wildlife said in a state- specimens for additional wrote. “As we laid him to
ing and research. Tribal representatives, wild- ment Monday. “What is testing. Saturday’s tradi- rest, a red-tailed hawk flew
Some representatives of life officials and others dis- important to understand is tional tribal burial included overhead and called loud-
the Chumash, Tataviam cussed a potential com- that the Tribes and agen- songs, prayers and sage ly, perhaps there to help
and Gabrielino (Tongva) promise in recent weeks, cies involved all agreed on smoke cleansings, accord- him on his journey.”
peoples argued that sam- but a consensus was not moving forward with the ing to Alan Salazar, a tribal Los Angeles and Mumbai
ples taken during the nec- reached before P-22 was burial and it was a moving member of the Fernande- are the world’s only ma-
ropsy should be buried with buried in an unspecified lo- ceremony. We have come ño Tataviam Band of Mis- jor cities where large cats
the rest of his body in the cation in the Santa Monica to a better place of under- sion Indians and a descen- have been a regular pres-
ancestral lands where he Mountains on Saturday. standing and we look for- dent of the Chumash tribe. ence for years — mountain
spent his life. Some tribal el- “While we have done ev- ward to continued growth The Natural History Muse- lions in one, leopards in the
ders said keeping the spec- erything we could to keep from this place.” um of Los Angeles County, other — though pumas be-
imens for scientific testing the carcass intact, the It was not clear whether where the cougar’s re- gan roaming the streets
would be disrespectful Tribes and agencies in- the unspecified samples mains had been kept in a of Santiago, Chile, during
to their traditions. Moun- volved are still working to- might also be buried with freezer before the burial, pandemic lockdowns.q

Women sue Texas over abortion ban,

say it risked their lives

as law, one of the strictest suit brought by the women ton said he is “committed
in the country, is creating and two doctors, one of to doing everything in his
confusion among doc- the women was forced to power to protect mothers,
tors, who are turning away wait until she was septic families, and unborn chil-
some pregnant women ex- before being provided an dren, and he will continue
periencing health compli- abortion and four others to defend and enforce the
cations because they fear were forced to travel out laws duly enacted by the
repercussions. of state to receive medical Texas Legislature.”
Similar legal challenges to care after their health was According to the lawsuit,
abortion restrictions have endangered by their preg- one of the doctors, Damla
arisen in states across the nancies. Karsan, “has seen that phy-
Demonstrators gather at the federal courthouse in Austin, Texas,
following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. country since the Supreme The group wants clarifica- sicians in Texas are even
Wade, June 24, 2022. Court overturned the land- tion of the law, which they afraid to speak out publicly
Associated Press mark 1973 decision estab- say is written vaguely and about this issue for fear of
lishing a constitutional right has made medical profes- retaliation” and has wit-
By ACACIA CORONADO Texas over its abortion ban, to abortion. As clinics have sionals wary of facing li- nessed how “widespread
Associated Press the latest legal fight against shuttered in Republican- ability if the state does not fear and confusion regard-
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Five state restrictions since the dominant states with strict consider the situation a ing the scope of Texas’s
women who said they were U.S. Supreme Court struck abortion bans, some pa- medical emergency. abortion bans has chilled
denied abortions even down Roe v. Wade. tients have had to cross In an email Tuesday, a the provision of necessary
when pregnancy endan- The lawsuit filed Monday state lines. spokesman for Texas At- obstetric care, including
gered their lives are suing in state court said the Tex- According to the Texas torney General Ken Pax- abortion care.”q