LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (AP) - Officials say a Florida panther was found dead on near a southwest Florida road.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 2-year-old collared female was found Friday after being hit by a vehicle on State Route 82 in Lee County. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
A total of six Florida panthers have been found dead in 2016, with five road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
