Officials say a young Florida panther has been found dead— the first of 2017— from an apparent vehicle strike in southwest Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 3-month-old male cat's body was found Thursday on County Road 832 in rural Hendry County. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
A total of 42 Florida panthers were found dead last year, with 34 road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
