Just like a movie, our story starts with a wild mountain lion, wandering the hills alone.

The poor lion, named P-22, couldn’t find a mate because he was trapped by the Los Angeles freeways.

He became a companion of sorts to the many Hollywood stars that lived in neighborhoods around Griffith Park, where P-22 liked to wander.

“He was surviving in a space much, much smaller than any male mountain lion ever had — eight square miles,” explained Beth Pratt, the California Director of the National Wildlife Federation.

The average male mountain lion territory is 150 miles.”

Residents of the area were enamored by the lion.

“A mountain lion lived in L.A. and people didn’t fear him,” Pratt said. “They saw him as a neighbor; they’d be eating dinner and he’d walk by their dining room at night and they’d share a photo and be like: ‘Hey, P-22 visited me.’”

As the lion’s popularity grew, more and more people wanted to help him. Soon, the idea of building a wildlife overpass that would cross L.A.’s busy six-lane 101 Freeway was discussed. But, it would need funding.

But she didn’t have to worry about funding for long. Donations poured in from the fans of P-22, which included many Hollywood stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Rainn Wilson, Barbra Streisand and David Crosby. Local residents of the nearby town of Watts donated, as well.

Residents see P-22 as “a social justice hero,” Pratt said.

“He’s someone who was also impacted by the injustice of putting freeways through communities,” she said. “Whether you’re [living in] Beverly Hills, whether you’re [living in] Watts, we all come together over wildlife.”

A rendering of the completed Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass. Photo courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation

Sadly, P-22 had to be euthanized shortly before the ground was broke on the project. The lion, officials believe, had been hit by a car and the injuries from that were too great for him to survive. His death, Pratt said, only highlights the reason why a wildlife overpass is necessary.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, up to 2 million big animals are killed on U.S. roads each year after getting hit by a vehicle.

Pratt said that number is likely “way under-counted” since those figures are based only on accidents that are reported.

And if you add in the little guys — frogs and butterflies — we’re talking in the billions,” she said.

When the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Overpass opens in two years, Pratt said it would be tailor-made for the animals that will be using it.

The crossing, which will see up to 400,000 cars pass underneath it, is specifically designed to keep the animals safe and unaware of what is going on below them.

There will be specially-designed walls that will filter out the freeway noise, along with tall trees and plantings that are natural sound barriers. The goal is to make sure the animals won’t get scared and avoid the bridge if there is too much.

While there have been other wildlife crossings in other parts of the United States, as well as other countries, the Wallis crossing is different from all the rest.

It will have an entire ecosystem on it. There will be fire-resistant plants that will eventually blanket the crossing. The hope is that they can remove the plants that fuel fires, and encourage growth of those that will last.

“Part of this project is we are going to be restoring the landscape, not just on the crossing, but around it, back to what it should be. So that’s going to help with a lot of things, as well as fire risk,” Pratt said.

A memorial that was made for mountain lion P-22, following his death. Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP

And although P-22’s death was tragic, Pratt said that he inspired so many. “But more than that, he used his celebrity for good. I call him the ‘ultimate cougar celebrity influencer.’”

And because of P-22, there will be a future for other mountain lions like him in the area.

“And we owe him a debt of gratitude. He has inspired the building of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing. We would not have it without him.”

Watch the videos below for a look at the bridge, as well as the story behind P-22.

Sources: CNN