Panther fatally struck by vehicle is 14th to be found dead this year

FORT MYERS, Fla. – An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says it’s the ninth panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 14 total deaths this year.

Wildlife officials say the remains of the 1-year-old female panther were found Monday in Lee County on Interstate 75 near Fort Myers.

On Saturday, the remains of another 1-year-old female panther were found in Collier County on a rural road to the south of Immokalee.

Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.