The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) confirmed that a female Florida panther was found dead on Tuesday morning along a busy stretch of State Road 82 in Collier County. The panther, identified by researchers as UCFP500, was estimated to be between five and six years old.
Her remains were located roughly a third of a mile west of Church Road.
Initial assessments from state biologists indicate that the big cat likely died from a vehicle collision. This incident marks another loss for a population that continues to face significant pressure from South Florida’s expanding infrastructure…