TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Wildlife officials are offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information about the intentional killing of an endangered Florida panther.The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the reward Thursday.A female panther was found dead east of Immokalee in Collier County on March 8, during the opening weekend of the spring turkey hunting season in south Florida.A forensic examination of the panther carcass and other evidence indicated that the panther was intentionally killed and partially mutilated a day earlier, FWC officials said.
The carcass was then transported at night and dumped in the area where it was recovered.Florida panthers are protected under the Endangered Species Act.