Project to restore animal life to its former glory

Hollywood stars aren't the only celebrities who live in the hills around Los Angeles Southern California's mountain lions also make their homes there and are sometimes almost as famous.

The animal, also known as a puma or a cougar, is the region's apex predator and spotting them is something of a hobby for locals.

A 2013 photograph of the much-loved - but unimaginatively named P-22 in front of the Hollywood sign cemented the creature's place in the popular imagination.

But the picture also highlighted the difficulties faced by a species whose habitat has been invaded by people, as well as from the growing risks of extreme weather events driven by human-caused climate change.

Mountain lions have "lived here forever and now we're building homes and facilities out on their property", Andy Blue of the San Diego Humane Society's Ramona Wildlife Centre, said.