Endangered panther shot dead in Florida preserve

An endangered Florida panther was shot and killed inside the Big Cypress National Preserve, a wildlife protection area near Naples, an official said. Preserve spokesman Bob LeGross said Monday the panther's carcass was found Saturday in the preserve where hunting of some animals is allowed, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The National Park Service has appealed to the public for help in solving the crime, which carries a penalty of a possible year in prison and a $100,000 fine. About 20 of the 100 to 160 panthers in Florida's swampy wilderness wear radio collars, allowing biologists to track their movements. The panther that was killed had no collar, LeGross said. While not providing much detail about the panther's age and gender, and the circumstances of its discovery, LeGross confirmed it was first panther to be shot on the federal preserve, the Times said. "There was a dead panther discovered," LeGross said. "Obviously there was evidence of a gunshot wound." He said federal officials were investigating and the panther was taken to a veterinarian for a necropsy, similar to a human autopsy. The Big Cypress preserve -- which is the headwaters of the western Everglades -- was established in 1974 to protect it from being developed. The Times said because hunters were crucial in getting the land protected, they have been allowed to hunt deer and other game on its 729,000 acres.