Panther Found Dead In Southwest Florida

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NAPLES (CBSMiami/AP) — Another of Florida's treasured state animals has been lost.

Officials say a Florida panther has been found dead from an apparent vehicle strike in southwest Florida.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reports that the 5-year-old male cat's body was found Monday on a rural road in Collier County. The remains will be taken to a Gainesville facility for a necropsy.

A total of four Florida panthers have been found dead in 2017, with two road fatalities.

Florida panthers once roamed the entire southeastern U.S., but only around 230 remain in the wild.

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