NAPLES, Fla. — An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.
It’s the 20th panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 22 total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The remains of the 6-month-old female panther were found Monday along a rural road in Collier 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.
Panther mortality report as of 9/7:
| Data provided by FWC | Date Discovered | Age | Sex | Cause of Death | County | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 09/05/2022 | 6 months | F | Vehicle | Collier | Rattlesnake Hammock Rd |
| 21 | 08/23/2022 | 2 | M | Vehicle | Lee | Joel Blvd./Edwards Dr. Lehigh Aces |
| 20 | 07/21/2022 | 2 | F | Vehicle | Collier | I-75, MM89 |
| 19 | 07/12/2022 | 8 | F | Vehicle | Collier | Immokalee Rd, near Bethune Ave |
| 18 | 07/09/2022 | 4 | F | Vehicle | Collier | Immokalee Rd, 2km south of Wild Turkey Dr |
| 17 | 05/23/2022 | 5 months | F | Unknown | Collier | Northeast Naples |
| 16 | 05/20/2022 | 3 yrs | M | Vehicle | Collier | US41 5 miles SE of CR951 |
| 15 | 05/19/2022 | 2.5 months | F | Uknown | Collier | Southeast Naples |
| 14 | 05/16/2022 | 2 | M | Vehicle Collision | Lee | Goggin Rd, 760m south of SR80 |
| 13 | 05/14/2022 | 10 mo | F | Vehicle Collision | Lee | Treeline Ave |
| 12 | 05/10/2022 | 2 | F | Vehicle | Glades | US27 at Fisheating Creek |
| 11 | 04/17/2022 | 2.5 | M | Vehicle | Polk | Polk Pkwy 100m south of US92 |
| 10 | 04/11/2022 | 4 | F | Vehicle | Glades | SR29, 3.5km north of SR78 |
| 9 | 03/27/2022 | 1.5 | F | Vehicle | Hendry | CR833, 1.8km N of Seminole Reservation |
| 8 | 02/28/2022 | 1.5 | M | Vehicle | Collier | SR82, 1.2km east of Corkscrew Rd. |
| 7 | 02/18/2022 | 1.5 | F | Vehicle | Hendry | Flaghole Rd, 3.9km South of US27 |
| 6 | 02/08/2022 | 5 | M | Vehicle | Hendry | CR832, 260m west of Collins Slough Rd. |
| 5 | 01/31/2022 | 2.5 | F | Vehicle | Collier | I-75, MM100 |
| 4 | 01/28/2022 | 3 | F | Vehicle | Collier | Carson Rd. Immokalee, FL |
| 3 | 01/15/2022 | 2 mo | M | Vehicle | Collier | Golden Gate Blvd. |
| 2 | 01/09/2022 | 3 | M | Vehicle | Glades | US27, 2.6km SE of junction with SR29 |
| 1 | 01/02/2022 | 2.5 | M | Vehicle | Collier | Collier Blvd |
FWC statistics show [PDF] 21 panther deaths were recorded by this date in 2021; a total of 27 deaths were recorded in the entire year.
Of those 27, 21 involved vehicles; two deaths were of unknown causes, two by "intraspecific aggression" (attack or fighting with another animal), and two by starvation.
Since 2017, there have been between 22-30 panther deaths recorded in the state:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
