Florida panther found dead in Hendry County was 22nd killed on road this year

An endangered Florida panther that had been captured and relocated this summer was found dead on a Hendry County road late Monday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported the death, the 22nd reported panther roadkill in 2017 after a record 34 panthers were killed by vehicles in 2016.

The dead panther was found along County Road 833 between the Seminole Indian reservation and the junction with County Road 835, FWC panther biologist Dave Onorato said Tuesday.

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Onorato said the 2-year-old male panther had been captured in Alva in June after it had been seen lingering in a neighborhood close to State Road 80. Biologists put a tracking collar on the panther and released it in the Dinner Island Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County.

The young panther likely still was looking for a territory of its own, Onorato said.

Biologists urge people to report injured or dead panthers to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).