As many times as I’ve driven along Alligator Alley and worried I wouldn’t be able to stop in time if a panther ran across the road, I also reassured myself the fence along both sides of the highway and the underpasses would keep panthers away from high-speed danger. But yesterday, a Florida panther was hit and killed by a vehicle yesterday on Alligator Alley, Naples Daily News reports, saying it’s the first time a panther has been killed on that part of the road since the fence went up.
Now I know better and can worry more. Of course, I should have known better. Why would a fence stop an animal like a panther? It might deter a panther, of course, but . . . .
The article says 15 panthers have died so far this year from vehicle collisions, which is a record, and 19 panthers have died overall. Because it’s estimated there are fewer than 100 Florida panthers in the state, that’s a huge percentage of the population to die.
Photo from U.S. Geological Survey
