Hollywood sign.

Hollywood sign. Image by Fabio Ikezaki / CC BY-SA 2.0

A mountain lion has taken up residence underneath a suburban Los Angeles home and is refusing to budge, despite the efforts of wildlife workers using a prod and firing tennis balls and bean bags at it.

Jason Archinaco, the homeowner in the hilly Los Feliz neighbourhood, said workers installing a home security system encountered the cougar in a crawlspace. “I don’t think he’s going to come out,” Mr Archinaco said. “He’s probably been living here for a while. He thinks this is his den.”

The animal, which has a red ear tag, is known as P-22 and normally lives in nearby Griffith Park Zoo. P-22 arrived in the area several years ago from the Santa Monica Mountains and crossed two freeways to get there. He was famously photographed in 2013 by National Geographic with the Hollywood sign in the background.

(Press Association)