LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) - Officials say a Florida panther has been found dead in southwest Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 11-year-old female cat's body was found Wednesday on private property in Collier County. The cause of death wasn't immediately known. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
A total of 27 Florida panthers have been found dead in 2016, with 21 road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
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