NAPLES, Fla. — An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.
It’s the 20th panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 22 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The remains of the 6-month-old female panther were found Monday along a rural road in Collier 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.