NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - An endangered Florida panther was euthanized after being struck by a vehicle in southwest Florida.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 5-year-old male was found injured Monday along Immokalee Road, in the area of the Bonita Bay Club. Biologists will study the panther's remains.
A total of 16 Florida panthers have been found dead in 2017, with 12 road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern United States, but now their habitat mostly is confined to southwest Florida. Only about 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.
(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
