earthstory reblogged
This certainly got a reaction from me.
Oh god...
Does anyone have an image credit? I want to use this in class next year.
Source: t.umblr.com
These people are why we can’t have nice things.
Devil’s Hole is a protected location in Death Valley National Park. It is surrounded by locked fences and monitored by both scientific equipment and security equipment due to the presence of a unique, endangered species. It’s a small cave, with water in it fed by underground aquifers, and it is home to the Devil’s Hole Pupfish.
These fish likely first arrived in this isolated pool tens of thousands of years ago when the climate was wetter and fish were able to swim in. The fish have evolved to adapt to their environment, eating algae that lives in the pond and able to hold their breath for hours while enduring the temperature shifts during the day (https://tmblr.co/Zyv2Js1iV5HW3). There are only a few hundred pupfish believed to live in Devil’s Hole at any given time, making it an extremely rare, endangered species. Continued shifts in climate or a drop in water levels could easily spell the end for this species.
That’s why these guys will be in a bit of trouble. On April 30th, they drove up to the site wielding a shotgun. They fired the gun to break open the gate, fired the gun at the motion sensors, and tried to knock out the security cameras. Fortunately one of the cameras continued to function. The camera captured them drinking several beers (cans found on the site), vomiting, urinating, and at least one of the three entered the water in the hole. His underwear was found in the water once the authorities reached the site.
One dead pupfish was found in the water immediately after they left, they also likely disturbed the algae that serves as the main food source for the pupfish, so long-term damage is possible. The spring season is also the pupfish’s main mating season, so it’s likely that they killed a number of eggs as well.
The Park Service states that they have identified the men thanks to tips from the public and the men are currently facing federal charges.
Jerks.
-JBB
Image credit: US Park Service http://bit.ly/1qkDp22
More information/Reference: http://1.usa.gov/1qkDqTw http://1.usa.gov/1TD6ehU
Security camera video: http://1.usa.gov/1VWZfXs
Charges and their names: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/rip-pupfish?bffbnews&utm_term=.mwMpkVKNYm#.vcAgWZ2v0O
Source: facebook.com