3-Year-Old Panther Struck, Killed By Car In Collier County
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COLLIER COUNTY (CBSMiami) – Another vehicle crash has claimed the life of an endangered Florida panther.
The remains of a 3-year-old uncollared female panther were found and collected on October 8, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
The remains were found in Collier County just west of the junction with San Marco Road, bordered by Collier-Seminole State Park to the north and south of the roadway. They'll be taken to a Gainesville FWC Wildlife Research facility for a necropsy.
This is the 31st panther killed this year and the 22nd panther killed by a vehicle.
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.
Florida's official state animal has been listed as a federal endangered species since 1967, when the panther population was as low as 30 animals.
