FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Officials say two Florida panthers have been found dead from separate vehicle strikes.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that a 4-year-old female’s body was found Thursday near the intersection of Daniel’s Parkway and Commerce Lakes Drive in Lee County, and a 2-year-old male was found the same day on U.S. 27 near Venus in Highlands County. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
A total of 25 Florida panthers have been found dead in 2016, with 20 road fatalities.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
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