LABELLE, Fla. – Two endangered Florida panthers have been found dead in as many days, bringing the total number of deaths this year to 26.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the remains of a 4-month-old female were collected last Thursday on a road running through Okaloacoochee Slough State Forest, and the remains of a 4-year-old male were collected last Wednesday west of Felda. Both were killed by vehicles.
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.