Florida drivers have killed 21 endangered panthers so far this year

In case you needed another reason to be more careful on the road, the number of Florida panther deaths due to vehicular accidents has just increased.

On Monday, the remains of a Florida panther were found road in Hendry County, according to the Associated Press. The six-year-old male panther, the 21st to die from car impact, was found just north of the Dinner Island Ranch Wildlife Management Area. The remains will be studied by biologists.

This is the 26th panther in total to die in Florida this year. Last year, the state broke its own record for panthers killed by vehicles with 32, and 42 dead overall. 

With only 230 Florida panthers left in the wild, the animals have been confined mostly to southwest Florida. They once inhabited the entire Southeastern United States.

Florida Panthers are most active around dusk, making it more likely for the animals, which are one of the rarest endangered species in the world, to be hit by cars, according to Big Cat Rescue.

This article appears in Nov 8-14, 2017.