LABELLE, Fla. — Wildlife officials have reported the first Florida panther death of 2020.

• 2-year-old Florida panther struck, killed by vehicle
• Total of 27 Florida panthers reported killed in 2019
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The 2-year-old female was found dead Thursday from an apparent vehicle strike just south of the Spirit-of-the-Wild Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County, said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Vehicle strikes are the leading cause of death for the state's native wild cat.

A total of 27 Florida panthers were reported killed in 2019, with 23 of those being from vehicle strikes.

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, biologists have estimated.

Injured or dead panthers should be reported immediately to the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).