Two Panthers Found Dead In SW Florida
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NAPLES (CBSMiami/AP) – Two Florida panthers were found dead over the weekend, bringing the total number of recorded panther deaths this year to seven.
A 16-year-old collared female was recovered Friday in Big Cypress National Preserve, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
A 1-year-old uncollared male was found Sunday just north of the Seminole Tribe's Big Cypress reservation. It was killed in apparent vehicle strike.
Both cats will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
This brings the total number of recorded panther deaths this year to seven, with five killed by vehicles. Florida set a record last year with 25 road kills and 33 overall deaths.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
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