NAPLES, Fla. — A Florida panther was killed near State Road 29 in Collier County, marking the 30th death of the endangered species this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
FWC reported on its website the 3.5 year-old male panther was struck by a vehicle about two miles South of the Deep 50 gun range.
Just five days earlier, another panther was killed in a crash on I-75 in Lee County near mile marker 119.
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Amber Crooks, senior environmental policy adviser for the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, says car crashes remain the leading cause of panther fatalities.
"A substantial amount — a majority of the known deaths — are from vehicle strikes, vehicle collisions," Crooks said.
About 75% of all panther deaths are from vehicle collisions, FWC says.
The rising death toll coincides with increasing development in eastern Collier and Lee counties, which Crooks says is exacerbating the issue.
"Placing more people, more vehicles into some of these already deadly areas. We know that there are already roadkill hot spots existing even in some of our more rural areas," she explained.
Crooks believes several new developments are posing an imminent threat to the critical panther habitat.
"Right now, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida is tracking and opposing six major projects in eastern Lee and eastern Collier County, all in panther habitat and within the Florida Wildlife Corridor," she said. "With just these six projects, there would be an additional quarter million vehicle trips added to our roadways every day."
To protect the species, wildlife experts are urging drivers to slow down and follow speed limits, especially at night and in designated panther crossing areas.
Florida panthers are listed as endangered, and their population is estimated to range between 120 and 230 adults in the wild, according to FWC.
