- In 2019, there have been some shocking stories of people ruining nature.
- This year, landscapes like Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon in Iceland and Joshua Tree in California have been badly damaged or defaced.
- Wildlife has also been hurt in 2019. One off-duty police officer reportedly killed a wombat in Australia by hitting it in the head with rocks.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Every year, headlines are filled with stories of people harming the environment around them, and this year was no different.
In 2019, people damaged landscapes in Iceland and national parks in California. They also put wildlife in danger, some even killing whales in the Philippines and wombats in Australia.
These are some of the most shocking, heartbreaking incidents of people ruining nature this year.
Two people scratched their names into a rhino’s back at a French zoo.
La Palmyre Zoo in western France announced in August that two people scratched their names in the layer of “dust and dead skin on the back of the rhinoceros” after reaching into the animal’s pen. The zoo posted a picture of the animal, who bore the names “Camille” and “Julien” on its back.
The zoo said it was "outraged by the stupidity and disrespect" and went on to say, "Although the vast majority of our visitors show reservations and responsibility, unfortunately, there are always exceptions to confirm the rule."
The names were taken off the rhino's back with a brush, and the animal did not appear to be injured.
Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon in Iceland is slowly being destroyed after being featured in "Game of Thrones."
In 2019, "Game of Thrones" aired its final episode, and Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon in Iceland was prominently featured. Justin Bieber even set one of his music videos in the picturesque canyons. These cameos have made this natural wonder a popular travel destination for tourists, and the influx of travelers to the site has badly damaged it, prompting a visitor ban.
Even though the ban is meant to deter people from visiting the landscape, people have continued to sneak in overnight, according to the AP, creating further environmental damage to the region.
People etched an eye into the sandstone at the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.
In June, workers at the Capitol Reef National Park in Utah found an eye scratched into the rocks in an area known as the Temple of the Moon. The park said the 2-foot-wide, 17-inch-tall etching is so deep into the rock that it cannot be removed.
"It's just disturbing that people feel like they need to leave a mark on the landscape," Capitol Reef National Park Superintendent Sue Fritzke told The Salt Lake Tribune. "It really bothers me."
In the US, it's a federal crime to deface anything in a national park.
The Amazon rainforest saw thousands of wildfires this year because of deforestation.
In Brazil, deforestation is a common practice. To clear land for farming, people in the country use a "slash and burn" method, which involves cutting down all vegetation, letting it dry, and then setting it on fire. This deforestation has led to uncontrollable fires in the Amazon.
Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, announced a ban on the "slash and burn" method this year to help stop the spread of the wildfires, but he eventually lifted the ban. Just two days later, 4,000 new wildfires were reported.
Between January and August 2019, 72,000 wildfires were reported, the highest number since 2013, according to the Independent.
"What we are experiencing is a real crisis, which can turn into a tragedy that will feature fires much larger than the current ones if not stopped immediately," said Tasso Azevedo, who runs an anti-deforestation group.
Selfie-taking tourists in Tasmania are stressing out the local wombat population.
Maria Island, off the coast of Tasmania, has no human inhabitants but is home to a large wombat population. In recent years, the island has become a tourist destination as people flocked to the island to take pictures with the animals.
In January, however, the island started posting signs deterring people from interacting with the wombats because it can harm the animals' wellbeing. In most cases, it's making the animals feel stressed as humans get extremely close and shove phones in their faces.
"When you trundle past me I pledge I will not chase you with my selfie stick, or get too close to your babies," the pledge reads. "I will not surround you, or try and pick you up. I will make sure I don't leave rubbish or food from my morning tea. I pledge to let you stay wild."
Joshua Tree suffered severe damage during the 35-day government shutdown.
The beginning of 2019 saw the longest government shutdown in history, lasting 35 days. During that time, park rangers were furloughed nationwide, including those at Joshua Tree in California. This allowed visitors to roam the park unsupervised, causing damage throughout the landscape. Graffiti was found, trees were badly damaged, and trails were ruined. Since there was no one there to clean up after the visitors, trash piled up and bathrooms overflowed.
"What's happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years," Curt Sauer, who ran the park for seven years, said at a rally at the time.
A couple landed a helicopter on the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.
The poppy fields in California always see an influx of visitors vying for the perfect Instagram picture during the yearly super bloom. In March, one couple landed a helicopter on top of the flowers at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.
The couple - not pictured - then got out of the helicopter and walked around the flowers. When police started approaching, the couple got back into the helicopter and flew away, according to reports.
"We never thought it would be explicitly necessary to state that it is illegal to land a helicopter in the middle of the fields and begin hiking off trail in the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve," officials said in a Facebook post, according to The Los Angeles Times. "We were wrong."
A police officer in Australia reportedly stoned a wombat to death.
The Wombat Awareness Organization, a Facebook page devoted to protecting the animal, posted a video of an off-duty police officer who appeared to be throwing rocks at a wombat's head.
In the video, you can hear the officer's friends tell him to kill the wombat. Eventually, the animal seems to fall over. Local news outlets reported that the animal died.
The BBC reported that the South Australia police commissioner, Grant Stevens, said the incident was "totally abhorrent."
A whale washed up in the Philippines with almost 88 pounds of trash in its stomach.
In March, a whale washed up on the shores of the Philippines, and its stomach was filled with 88 pounds of trash, including 16 rice sacks, four banana style bags, and several shopping bags.
There was evidence that the whale was vomiting blood before it died of gastric shock, starvation, and dehydration. There was so much plastic in its stomach, that the whale could not eat and got no nourishment.
"This whale had the most plastic we have ever seen in a whale," D'Bone Collector Museum, the organization that found the whale, wrote in a Facebook post. "It's disgusting. Action must be taken by the government against those who continue to treat the waterways and ocean as dumpsters."
Read more:
11 ways people ruined nature in 2018