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Third panther death reported in December; 9-month-old animal

WGCU | By Michael Braun
Published December 18, 2025 at 1:06 PM EST
Environmentalists fear if the Town of Big Cypress is approved near the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, the master-planned community will doom the endangered Florida panther
Conservancy of Southwest Florida
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WGCU
A 9-month-old Florida panther was reported found dead in Hendry County, the third such death in December.
Remains of a juvenile Florida panther were collected on Monday in Hendry County and the suspected cause of death is vehicle collision. The remains were found near Country Road 833 4.8 mi east of CR846
WGCU
/
File
Remains of a juvenile Florida panther were collected on Monday in Hendry County and the suspected cause of death is vehicle collision. The remains were found near Country Road 833 4.8 mi east of CR846

The Florida Wildlife Commission reports that a third panther has been found dead since the beginning of December.

The most recent big cat death is a 9-month-old, male Florida panther. Remains of the juvenile animal were collected on Monday in Hendry County and the suspected cause of death is vehicle collision.

The remains were found near Country Road 833 4.8 mi east of County Road 846

Previously in December, a 5-to-6 year-old male panther was found dead Dec. 3 in Hendry County and a 4-year-old female panther was found dead Dec. 13 in Glades County.

The deaths bring to eighteen the number of panthers killed or found dead in Florida in 2025. Seventeen of those deaths were by vehicle impacts.

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Michael Braun
mbraun@wgcu.org
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