Panthers

Since the start of May there have been six Florida panthers killed, likely by vehicle strike, Florida Wildlife Commission statistics show.

The Florida Wildlife Commission said Friday that the second panther death in a week in Collier County has been reported. The death is the 10th panther to be killed in the state this year.

The ninth Florida panther death this year and the fifth female of the species was reported killed in Collier County in the past week. The remains of the big cat, a 3-year-old female, were collected June 19, on County Road 846 in Collier County, east of Immokalee. The suspected cause of death was vehicle collision.

The Florida Fish & Game Commission Panther Pulse informational web site said the two animals were discovered on Saturday.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is reporting the death of another Florida panther.

Conservation groups sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wednesday to protect endangered Florida panthers from a new development within the panthers’ occupied breeding habitat in Collier County. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers, said the federal agencies violated the Endangered Species Act when they authorized a 10,264-acre residential and commercial development project known as Rural Lands West in important habitat for panthers in Collier County.

The rehabilitation of a young Florida panther injured in a vehicle collision is being recognized as a powerful example of statewide collaboration among wildlife and veterinary partners working together to protect one of Florida’s most iconic endangered animals. ZooTampa at Lowry Park played a key role in the panther’s survival and has now provided him a permanent home as a conservation ambassador. The panther, named "Loper," will remain at the zoo permanently and serve an important purpose in helping guests understand the threats facing Florida panthers and the need to protect the habitat they depend on.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is reporting the death of another panther in Southwest Florida. The remains of an eight-month-old female Florida panther were collected Saturday north of Naples Heritage Golf & Country Club on Collier Boulevard.

The Florida Wildlife Commission has reported the first Florida panther death of 2026, a one-and-a-half to two-year-old female found at a Collier County location.

The seventeenth Florida panther death was reported Friday by the Florida Wildlife Commission. It was the sixteenth big cat death by vehicle impact in 2025.