Why? That’s the question so many people are asking after seeing a viral video of two vandals destroying ancient rock formations at Lake Mead National Recreation Area outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The National Park Service (NPS) manages the site, which encompasses 1.5 million acres of mountains, canyons, valleys, and two lakes.
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As of this writing, officials have not yet identified the two men in the video, but they’re actively seeking help from the public to do so. The men appear to be intentionally shoving large pieces of rock from a formation near the Redstone Dune Trail. There’s a child with them, who screeches as the large rocks fall. (The screeches sound like terror, not glee.)
According to NPS, the sandstone formations have been forming for 140 million years, and these two dudes took it upon themselves to destroy one of them in the span of a few minutes.
“It’s pretty appalling. It’s kind of disgusting,” John Haynes, a public information officer at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, told local news station Fox 5 Las Vegas. “Why would you even do something like this? Like, why on Earth would you do this to this area that’s so beautiful?”
Why indeed. Watch it here, if you can stomach it:
Report tips about these Lake Mead vandals to NPS here.
