LABELLE, Fla. (AP) — An endangered Florida panther was struck and killed by a vehicle.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the female panther’s remains were found Thursday in Hendry County near Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area. Officials say the panther was about a year old.
It’s the 17th fatal collision this year, out of 22 total panther deaths. Biologists will study the panther’s remains.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern United States, but now their habitat mostly is confined to southwest Florida. Only about 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.