Two tourists are wanted by park authorities in Utah after archaeological “artifacts” were stolen from Canyonlands National Park.
Park rangers at Canyonlands National Park have released images of two people they are seeking to identify they accuse of being involved in an archeological theft incident.
Captured in video footage on a National Park Service trail camera at Cave Spring Cowboy Camp in the Needles district of the park, the two individuals, appearing to be a man and a woman, entered an archaeological area that was signposted as closed off. The pair removed artifacts from a cabinet and handled historic harnesses in a manner that had the potential to damage them, the park officials claimed.
Authroties said they believe the incident occurred around 5.30pm on March 23 – though the information was just released – and are asking that anyone in the area of Cave Spring Cowboy Camp at that time contact their investigators.
The artifacts appear to be taken from the historic cowboy camp found along the Canyonlands’ Cave Spring Trail, which the park service make clear on their website that entering, touching or removing objects from the camp is strictly prohibited.
The camp is filled with many original items left behind by pioneering cowboys from the late 1800s, who would create isolated outdoor camps while ranching their cattle on the widespread lands.
This particular camp at Cave Spring was established due to a reliable water source.
“National parks are some of the most special, treasured, and protected areas of our country,” the NPS wrote in the release. “To protect their natural and cultural resources for this and future generations, all visitors to national parks are expected to follow park laws and regulations.
The park service added all visitors should practice ‘Leave No Trace’ principles to minimise the amount of impact people have on the natural environment and the park’s land.
Officials say the incident remains under investigation.
News of this incident comes after a tourist in another national park toppled a 113-year-old tramway tower in Death Valley. The park service confirmed on Tuesday that the historic tower in the Saline Valley area in California had been pulled down sometime in April.
The park service said that the incident was likely to have unfolded when a person used a winch to pull their vehicle out of deep mud and used the tower as support, pulling it out of the ground along with its concrete base.
The tram tower is one of four within the Death Valley National Park, with the remaining tramway running across land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
The person responsible quickly came forward after news broke, according to the Los Angeles Times, claiming that they did not intend to cause harm to the structure and was only done out of desperation while being stuck in the mud.
National parks in the United States are, unfortunately, no strangers to the effects of tourists, even to the point that they are suspected to be vandalizing historical sites.
Last month, authorities were also on the hunt for two people who sparked outrage on social media when they were seen smashing ancient and federally protected red rock formations in a national park in Nevada.
Two men were captured on camera in Lake Mead National Park, scaling russet-coloured formations on the Redstone Dune Trail and shoving large chunks of loose rock to the ground.
A child, who is also seen in the clip, can be heard screaming as the stones topple and crumble to dust.
Lake Mead National Park is home to ancient rock formations and 140 million-year-old sand dunes, and authorities say the damage caused is irreversible.
