Officials: 20th Florida Panther Struck, Killed By Vehicle This Year

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - The 20th Florida panther death of 2021 has been attributed to a fatal collision with a vehicle.

There have been a total of 26 total deaths of panthers this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The remains of the 4-month-old female panther were found Saturday along a rural road east of Estero in Lee County, wildlife officials said.

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.

(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)