CLEWISTON, Fla. — Editor's note: The panther in the picture above is not the same as the one mentioned in the story.
An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.
It’s the ninth panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of nine total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The remains of the 1-year-old female panther were found Sunday along a rural road near Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Hendry 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.
