A group of criminals has desecrated and damaged ancient and sacred tribal rock carvings in Bishop, California, SFGate reported.
The carvings in question were a series of petroglyphs located at the Volcanic Tableland in the eastern Sierra, carved into rock by the Paiute-Shoshone people before European settlers arrived.
The geology itself was formed over 700,000 years ago by a volcanic eruption, hence the name. The petroglyphs feature several carved images believed to depict aspects of ancient human life, including figures of humans hunting and gathering animals like bighorn sheep, or a miner swinging an ancient pickax to collect stone.
Three of these petroglyphs were recently vandalized by unidentified individuals who used electric generators and power saws to remove and steal large chunks of rock depicting these scenes.
While officials from the Bureau of Land Management, which protects and manages the area, were able to recover the stone slabs, the individuals responsible remain at large.
"Those responsible have destroyed an irreplaceable part of our national cultural heritage," BLM bishop field manager Sherri Lisius said in a statement.
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"We have increased surveillance of our sites and are determined to bring the responsible parties to justice," she continued.
The internet shared similar disdain for the perpetrator's actions, taking to the r/California subreddit to react to the story.
"How do you even punish people like that enough. Vandals are cretins anyway but such wanton destruction just boggles the mind," one user wrote.
"The minimum sentence for this crime should be life without parole. If you disrespect historical artifacts of great significance you should be labeled an enemy of the public. Zero tolerance," wrote another.
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Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 👍 It is against the law to desecrate or damage archaeological or historical sites on federal land without a permit, as Crow Canyon Archaeological Center explained, but that has unfortunately not stopped individuals from damaging historical sites or even nature itself in the past.
We must continue to be vigilant against irresponsible and unacceptable actions like this to protect the natural world and respect our past.
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