Vandals used a hammer to smash a 115-million-year-old three-toed dinosaur footprint in a national park in Australia. Park rangers at the Bunurong Marine Park discovered the damage to the theropod footprint while taking a school group on a tour.
The one-foot wide print was found in 2006 and deliberately left in place to allow visitors to see it in its natural state in one of the world’s few ice-age dinosaur sites.
The identity of the culprits and the possible motive remain unknown, but it appears the vandals were familiar with the footprint.
Broken fragments of the print were found on the surrounding rock platform in which it is embedded.
Palaeontologists made a silicon rubber mould of the print after it was discovered. It is hoped that technicians will be able to restore the print.
The national park, east of Melbourne, was once roamed by at least six different types of carnivorous dinosaurs.
Thousands of bones and teeth of small dinosaurs and ancient mammals, birds and fish have been discovered since the first items were found there in 1991.
Authorities have appealed to the public for any information about the vandals.
Vandals took a hammer to the ancient dinosaur footprint in Australia, with officials slamming the "sad and callous" act CREDIT: AFP
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/20/vandals-use-hammer-smash-115-million-year-old-dinosaur-footprint/
The one-foot wide print was found in 2006 and deliberately left in place to allow visitors to see it in its natural state in one of the world’s few ice-age dinosaur sites.
The identity of the culprits and the possible motive remain unknown, but it appears the vandals were familiar with the footprint.
Broken fragments of the print were found on the surrounding rock platform in which it is embedded.
Palaeontologists made a silicon rubber mould of the print after it was discovered. It is hoped that technicians will be able to restore the print.
The national park, east of Melbourne, was once roamed by at least six different types of carnivorous dinosaurs.
Thousands of bones and teeth of small dinosaurs and ancient mammals, birds and fish have been discovered since the first items were found there in 1991.
Authorities have appealed to the public for any information about the vandals.
Vandals took a hammer to the ancient dinosaur footprint in Australia, with officials slamming the "sad and callous" act CREDIT: AFP
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/20/vandals-use-hammer-smash-115-million-year-old-dinosaur-footprint/
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