Dinosaur footprints permanently encased in the ground in Utah have survived the elements for millions of years. Now they’re facing a new threat and it isn’t from Mother Nature, it’s from the tourists who come to view them each year.
Wikimedia Commons - Phil Konstantin Impressions from the remote past are being vandalized, intentionally and unintentionally, by guests visiting Red Fleet State Park in Utah, reports Fox News At an area around a reservoir, the ‘fossilized’ footprints of the dilophosaurus, a species of raptor, are being removed from the ground and tossed into the natural water pit below. Millions of years ago the area of Red Fleet State Park was believed to be a sandy bog-like area frequented by dinosaurs looking for a quick drink. That was exactly what the carnivorous dilophosaurus was hoping. As its prey drank from the bog, the raptor-like predator would strike.
Wikimedia Commons Their repetitious stalkings and treks across the area left imprints in the sand, which overtime became sandstone. Now, some visitors to the park seem more interested in throwing rocks or sandstone into the reservoir than learning about pre-historic life. Fox News writes that guests have been “dislodging dinosaur tracks imprinted in sandstone and throwing the pieces into a nearby lake.”
Red Fleet State Park - Wikimedia Commons For the past six months park authorities have noticed the damage increasing. Park Manager Josh Hansen reports that after hearing two large splashes on shore, docked his boat and located a youth throwing slabs of stone into the reservoir. He then noticed that the juvenile had two toe imprints in his hand. “I saved that one,” Hansen said. “He had already thrown multiple (tracks in the water).” Utah Division of State Parks spokesman Devan Chavez estimates that at least 10 of the larger, more visible footprints, which range from 3 to 17 inches (8 to 43 centimeters), have been vandalized since the beginning of the year. “It’s become quite a big problem,” Chavez said. “They’re just looking to throw rocks off the side. What they don’t realize is these rocks they’re picking up, they’re covered in dinosaur tracks.”
“Some of them are likely lost forever,” Chavez said. According to Fox, the park is considering sending a diving team to recover what it can from the lake bed, but for now signs will have to do. “You’d think common sense would provide guidance, but it’s not coming across in people’s mind,” said Hansen.
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