Vehicle strikes claim two Florida panthers

Wildlife officials have documented six Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) fatalities this year, all due to vehicle strikes. The two most recent fatalities occurred in June within days of one another, less than a mile apart. On June 9, a 5- to 7-month-old female panther was found on a rural road in Collier County, in southwestern Florida. Three days later, a 3-year-old female was discovered on the same road. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials plan to conduct a genetic analysis to see if the two cats are related.

Once on the brink of extinction, about 230 of the endangered cats remain in the wild in Florida.

Read more from the Associated Press.