Back-to-back days of endangered Florida panther deadly crashes

Writer: Paul Dolan
Published: Updated:
Florida Panther
Florida panther (Credit: CBS News)

Another Florida panther has died after a vehicle ran into it, but this was the first time a death was discovered on back-to-back days.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Panther Pulse, a female panther between 3 and 5 years old died on State Road 74, west of County Road 731 in Glades County, Tuesday.

The Florida panther is an endangered species and has been the state animal of Florida since 1982.

This follows authorities discovering a dead male panther, around the same age, on Keri Road in Hendry County on Monday.

This marks the tenth Florida panther death reported by Panther Pulse in 2023 and the first to happen in Glades County. Every panther death so far this year is the result of vehicle collisions.

Florida panther

FWC reports that 60% of the panthers killed were female. Seventy percent of the deaths happened in Collier County and 20% in Hendry County, with this being the first instance in Glades County in 2023.

At this point in 2022, 24 panthers had reportedly died. If you continue looking back to 2021, 26 panthers died by Nov. 8, and in 2020, 19 panthers died during the same timeframe.

It’s unclear if the lower number of deaths is a good or bad sign for the endangered state animal of Florida.

Panther Crossing is an organization focused on lessening the number of panthers killed in vehicle collisions. “Panther activity is greatest between dusk and dawn when visibility is lowest. 45 mph nighttime speed zones exist where panthers are known to frequently cross roads,” Panther Crossing’s website says.

Florida Panther
Cimarron, the Florida Panther at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary. CREDIT: Paul Dolan

FWC has not released the number of new panther litters for 2023. FWC says there have been six new litters since 2020, not including any potential litters in 2023.

According to the Florida Department of the State, the Florida panther officially became protected from legal hunting in 1958. Then, nine years later, the panther was listed as a federal endangered species and was added to Florida’s endangered species list in 1973.

FWC said only 120 to 230 adult panthers are left in the wild. The endangered species remains in South Florida but primarily below the Caloosahatchee River.

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