LABELLE, Fla. (AP) - Officials say a Florida panther has been found dead from an apparent vehicle strike in southwest Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 1-year-old female cat's body was found last Wednesday along County Road 835 south of Dooley Grade. That's about 21 miles south of Clewiston.
The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
A total of 10 Florida panthers have been found dead in 2017, with seven road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 230 remain in the wild.
(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
