Officials: Florida panther struck and killed by vehicle, 13th killed this year
LABELLE, Fla. - An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.
It’s the 12th panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 13 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The remains of the 7-year-old male panther were found Monday in Hendry County on a rural road east of LaBelle, 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.