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Officials: Florida panther struck and killed by vehicle

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LABELLE, Fla. (AP) -- An endangered Florida panther has died after being struck by a vehicle.

It's the eighth panther death attributed to fatal collisions, out of nine total deaths this year, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The remains of the 3-year-old male panther were found Monday in Hendry County on a rural road west of LaBelle, wildlife officials said.

Florida panthers once roamed the entire 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.