Snakes, bobcats, mountain lions: the secret animal world beneath the Hollywood sign

Snakes, bobcats, mountain lions: the secret animal world beneath the Hollywood sign | Los Angeles | The Guardian Skip to main content Skip to navigation Close dialogue 1 / 3 Next image Previous image Toggle caption Print subscriptions Newsletters Sign in US US edition UK edition Australia edition Europe edition International edition The Guardian - Back to home The Guardian News Opinion Sport Culture Lifestyle Show more Hide expanded menu News View all News US news US politics Midterms 2026 World news Climate crisis Middle East Ukraine US immigration Soccer Business Environment Tech Science Newsletters The Filter Wellness Opinion View all Opinion The Guardian view Columnists Letters Opinion videos Cartoons Sport View all Sport Soccer NFL Tennis MLB MLS NBA WNBA NHL F1 Golf Culture View all Culture Film Books Music Art & design TV & radio Stage Classical Games Design a better world Lifestyle View all Lifestyle The Filter Wellness Fashion Food Recipes Love & sex Home & garden Health & fitness Family Travel Money Search input google-search Search Support us Print subscriptions Newsletters Download the app Search jobs Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us The Guardian app Video Podcasts Pictures Inside the Guardian Guardian Weekly Crosswords Wordiply Corrections Tips Search input google-search Search Search jobs Digital Archive Guardian Licensing Live events About Us Environment Climate crisis Wildlife Energy Pollution Green light A cyclist rides along a hillside path above the Hollywood sign at dusk in Los Angeles. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images View image in fullscreen A cyclist rides along a hillside path above the Hollywood sign at dusk in Los Angeles. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images Los Angeles Snakes, bobcats, mountain lions: the secret animal world beneath the Hollywood sign An international symbol for the city, the sign is also hallmark of the region’s environmental richness Katharine Gammon in Los Angeles Mon 5 Oct 2026 10.00 EDT Last modified on Mon 5 Oct 2026 12.50 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google A top Mount Lee, in the heart of Los Angeles , the wind is quiet. Two red-tailed hawks sail above, barely flapping as they coast the thermal air like surfers on a wave. Standing beside the giant letters of the Hollywood sign, the city seems peaceful. On a clear day, blocks and blocks of homes unfold beneath and the skies reveal sights all the way to Catalina Island – 10 miles out, across the Pacific. That’s the beauty seen from the Hollywood sign. The sign sits on a hillside in Griffith Park, which, at about five times the size of Central Park, is the largest municipal park in the city. The letters have long been an international symbol for human residents in the metropolis – of dreams, film-making ambition and success. But it’s also a hallmark of the region’s environmental richness. Because the area is closed off from the public, it has become a favorite of animals seeking respite from the city. There are birds nesting in the sign, snakes curled up at its base, bobcat roaming around the letters. It was the backdrop that made the famous wild mountain lion P-22 into an LA icon when a 2013 National Geographic photograph captured him prowling at night with the illuminated Hollywood sign in the background. View image in fullscreen A remote camera captures a radio-collared cougar in Griffith Park, Los Angeles Photograph: Steve Winter Now, a team of scientists is preparing to outfit the letters with cameras, able to capture any fire outbreaks that the basin may experience. The sign’s caretakers are collaborating with Torch Systems, a technology company that uses solar-powered sensors, on an AI fire-detection service that can identify smoke from miles away. Fire is considered the area’s largest anticipated risk, particularly as visitors may bring lit cigarettes into the park. On a recent Wednesday, the Guardian hiked up the mountain with the team to survey the environment of the sign. As we don gloves, skirt a steep trail and rappel down a private trail to the letters, mounds of coyote scat are a constant reminder of who has walked these paths before us. “Los Angeles is butted up against nature,” says Diana Wright, official caretaker for the Hollywood Sign Trust. She gestures around the hillside, part of the 4,310 acres, or about 6.5 sq miles, that exist in the shadow of the sign. “We’re inside this huge natural park – way bigger than Central Park – and also much more native. And then you’ve got this man-made sign of it that’s meant to withstand rockslides and landslides and winds.” The park is home to many creatures. The Educational Research Center at the University of California , Los Angeles, has designated Griffith Park a Significant Ecological Area, in part for its crucial role “as a corridor for any gene flow and species movement between the Santa Monica, San Gabriel and Verdugo Mountains”. Researchers have documented about 200 species of birds in the park