Florida panther struck, killed by car: Wildlife officials
UNITED STATES - 2013/09/17: Young cougar (captive) laying in grass, Montana, United States. (Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
An endangered Florida panther was struck and killed by a vehicle, officials said.
The 2-year-old male panther’s remains were found Monday along Interstate 75 in Collier County, near the western end of Alligator Alley, wildlife officials said.
All eight known panther deaths this year were caused by vehicle collisions, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Florida Panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but their habitat now is mostly confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico.
Up to 230 Florida Panthers remain in the wild.