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Endangered Florida panther dies after being hit by car in Hendry County

Posted at 8:17 AM, Aug 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-21 08:17:16-04

IMMOKALEE, Fla. (AP) - An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

It's the 13th fatal collision this year, out of 16 total panther deaths.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the remains of an uncollared panther were found last week in Hendry County along County Road 846 east of Immokalee. That's south of Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area.

The sex and age of the animal weren't known.

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 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)