Florida Panther Euthanized Due To Deteriorating Health
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) - Wildlife officials were forced to euthanize an endangered Florida panther after they noticed its deteriorating health.
It's the 20th panther death this year.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says trail cameras documented the 2-year-old, radio-collared female suffering from a condition detected in some Florida panthers and bobcats. The panther was captured and examined by wildlife veterinarians, who decided to humanely euthanize the cat.
Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast, but now their habitat mostly is confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico. Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)