LABELLE, Fla. (AP) — An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.
It’s the 22nd panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 24 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The remains of the 2-year-old male panther were found Saturday along a rural road several miles east of Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest in Hendry County, 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.
