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NAPLES (CBSMiami/AP) — A Florida panther was struck and killed by a vehicle on a southwest Florida highway, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials said.
The FWC reports that the 4-year-old female was found Friday after being hit by a vehicle on Interstate 75 in Collier County. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.
This is the 27th Florida panther killed this year, the 18th by a vehicle strike.
Florida set a record last year with 25 road kills and 33 overall deaths.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 180 remain in the wild.
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