Officials: Florida panther struck and killed by vehicle, totaling 13 deaths this year

LABELLE, Fla. (AP) — An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says it’s the 12th panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of 13 total deaths this year.

Wildlife officials say the remains of the 7-year-old male panther were found Monday in Hendry County on a rural road east of LaBelle.

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.