A tour guide was left fuming after discovering 10,000-year-old rock paintings had been vandalised with graffiti.
Bruno Pereira Mestres filmed the prehistoric artworks covered in tags and shared the video online on Saturday (2 May).
Describing it as an “act of vandalism and terrorism”, he said: “I can’t even put into words how angry I am right now.”
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The graffiti appeared in the Lapa das Congonhas area of Serra do Cipó National Park in Santana do Riacho, Brazil.
The oldest rock paintings in the Serra do Cipó region are believed to be more than 10,000 years old.
Most of the works depict deer, usually in ochre or red tones, and more rarely yellow, orange, white and black.
Interestingly, they were not made with plant extracts, but with oxides and hydroxides of manganese and iron found locally.
Under Brazilian law, the act constitutes a crime against cultural heritage and against a federal conservation unit.
If convicted, those responsible could face imprisonment, fines, and the obligation to fully repair the damage.
At the time of the latest update, however, no suspects had been identified, as reported by Need To Know.
The park administration said in a statement: “The rock paintings are part of Brazil’s historical, archaeological and cultural heritage.
“They are records of ancestral human presence in this territory and belong to the collective.
“Damaging them is not just degrading a rock, it is an attack on collective memory, a public asset and a heritage that belongs to everyone.”
The Lapa das Congonhas area, along with another section of the park, has since been closed.
Environmental analyst Diogo Demattos Guimarães of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation said: “We are studying the installation of cameras and will maintain and improve signage in the surrounding area.”
Park managers have asked anyone with relevant information to come forward so it can be passed on to the authorities.
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