FORT MYERS, Fla. - Officials say two Florida panthers have been found dead from separate vehicle strikes in southwest Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that a 4-year-old male's body was found Sunday on Interstate 75 near Bonita Beach Road in Lee County, and then a 5-month-old male was found the same day on Golden Gate Boulevard in Collier County. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
A total of 16 Florida panthers have been found dead in 2016, with 14 road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
