Endangered Florida panther struck and killed by vehicle

AVE MARIA, Fla. – A Florida panther has been struck and killed by a vehicle, the eighth fatal collision involving the endangered species.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that the remains of the 5-year-old female were collected Monday north of Ave Maria in southwest Florida.

Florida panthers once roamed the entire U.S. 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.