NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Florida wildlife officials have recovered remains of a Florida panther in Collier County.
Officials say the male panther was hit by a vehicle and the carcass was recovered on Friday along Golden Gate Boulevard, about .3 miles east of Collier Boulevard.
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said in a news release that the remains will be taken to Gainesville for a necropsy. They believe the panther was between 14 and 16 months old.
So far in 2016, 11 Florida panthers have been found dead, with nine road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
