WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
NAPLES — Officials say a Florida panther has been found dead from an apparent vehicle strike in southwest Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 2-year-old male cat’s body was found Sunday on State Road 29 in Collier County. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
A total of 32 Florida panthers have been found dead in 2016, with 24 road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
