Climbers deface ancient petroglyph panel by installing climbing bolts, Utah cops say
Climbing bolts were spotted on an ancient petroglyph panel in eastern Utah, and authorities are searching for the culprits, officials said.
The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Land Management Vernal Field Office are seeking the public’s help to identify anyone involved with installing the bolts, the agency said on Facebook.
Someone discovered the installed bolts on the Pregnant Sheep Petroglyph Panel on Nov. 10, officials said. The carvings on the panel show an ancient person’s carving of what looks like a shepherd with a pregnant sheep beside it.
It’s located near the Musket Shot Springs Overlook between Bourdette Draw and Highway 40, about a 200-mile drive southeast from Salt Lake City.
Those with information are asked to call Bureau of Land Management officers at 800-722-3998 or 801-539-4099.
Tips from the public recently helped find a pair of people who were photographed defacing another ancient petroglyph in southern Utah, McClatchy News previously reported.
A petroglyph is a carving in the surface of a rock left there by ancient Indigenous people to tell their stories, McClatchy News reported.
While the art has survived thousands of years, it is still exceptionally delicate. Oils from human hands can degrade the rock surface, and carving, chiseling, scratching, engraving or otherwise marring the petroglyphs is a federal crime.
This story was originally published December 27, 2024 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Climbers deface ancient petroglyph panel by installing climbing bolts, Utah cops say."
