NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Wildlife officials have recorded the 40th Florida Panther death of the year.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the remains of a 1-yr-old uncollared male panther were found Monday after being hit by a vehicle about 5 miles south of Immokalee in Collier County. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
Florida Panther deaths are at a record high this year, with 29 resulting from vehicle strikes.
Florida also 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.
