First endangered Florida panther death of 2024 reported

LABELLE, Fla. (AP) — Wildlife officials have reported the first endangered Florida panther death of 2024.

The 1-year-old male was found dead Tuesday from an apparent vehicle strike on a rural road north of LaBelle in Hendry County, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

A total of 13 Florida panthers were reported killed in 2023, with all of them being from vehicle strikes.

Florida panthers once roamed the entire Southeast. But now their habitat is mostly confined to a small region of Florida along the Gulf of Mexico.

Up to 230 Florida panthers remain in the wild.