Endangered panthers run over and killed in Florida

Four panthers recently died in the state - but they’re not the first to be killed this year

A series of endangered panthers have been run over and killed on consecutive days in Florida, officials have announced.

The remains of a two-year-old panther were found near the Spirit-of-the-Wild Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County on 6 November.

The next day, a three-year-old female panther was also found dead near the Fisheating Creek Wildlife Management area in Glades County.

Both causes of death are noted as vehicle-related.

The news of these panther deaths hit headlines before a further two endangered panthers were also found dead on Saturday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shared that these two panthers, both male, one three-years-old and another four-years-old, were found dead, also in a vehicle-related incident.

There are around 200 Florida panthers left in the wild (Getty Images)

The recent big cat deaths all occurred within different Floridian counties - two in Hendry, one in Glades and another in Collier.

There have been other panthers who have died in the state before this recent mysterious chain of events. 12 endangered panther have died in Florida so far in 2023, and all have been linked to vehicles.

Despite the recent fatalities, 2023 is currently the year with the lowest number of deaths since 2014, as far back as the FFWCC’s public records show.

Last year, 27 endangered panther deaths were recorded, but 2016 comes on top as the most fatal year for Florida’s panthers at 42 fatalities noted.

In 1973, the species was added to the US endangered species list; today, just over 200 Flordia panthers are left in the wild, according to The National Wildlife Federation.

To tell if you have spotted a Florida panther, they can be identified by a crooked tail and an unusual patch of fur on their back that looks like a cowlick.

They have these features, not due to natural adaptation, but because of the extremely small size of their species, which has meant inbreeding has negatively affected their bodies.

The Florida panther used to roam throughout the Gulf Coast states and Louisiana and Arkansas, but today, the wild panthers are only found on the southwestern tip of Florida.