Florida panther struck and killed by vehicle in Hendry County

Author: The Associated Press
Published:
Florida Panther
FILE: The Florida panther via a file photo from the U.S. Geological Survey/ photo by Larry Richardson/FILE.

An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

It’s the 17th panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 20 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The remains of the 2-year-old male panther were found Tuesday in Hendry County on SR-80, six miles east of LaBelle, wildlife officials said.

Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.

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