A 2-year-old female panther was found dead Thursday near the Spirit-of-the-Wild Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County, says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Wildlife officials say the cause was an apparent vehicle strike. Last year, 23 of the 27 reported Florida panther deaths were caused by car strikes.
There are some 230 panthers in the wild, mainly located in a small region of Florida along the Gulf Coast.
There are various government efforts to protect panthers in Florida, and Floridians can take part in protection efforts via the Conservation Fund's Habitat Protection for the Florida Panther program and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, among others.
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