April 11, 2017 - 4:03 AM
LABELLE, Fla. - 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 1-year-old female cat's body was found last week near a rural road in Hendry County. The remains will be taken to a centre in Gainesville for a necropsy.
A total of 10 Florida panthers have been found dead in 2017, with seven road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 230 remain in the wild.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017