NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Officials say a Florida panther was found dead in southwest Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 3-year-old female was found dead Monday in Big Cypress National Preserve.
The Naples Daily News reports that it appeared the panther had been killed in a fight with another panther. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
This is the 26th Florida panther killed this year. Officials say 17 have been killed by vehicles.
Florida set a record last year with 25 road kills and 33 overall deaths.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
