Vandalism

Today we have an ever-increasing problem with vandals. Some are just ignorant or poorly educated about caves and some vandals just don't give a damn. Alcohol and drugs have also been found to play a part in cave vandalism. Most states have cave laws that have been already used in prosecuting vandals in the court of law.

 Apparently, a small part of the public feels that in order to leave a legacy, they have to spray paint their name, their lifestyle habits or their mental problems on cave walls. Some vandals break formations to take home thinking that the formations will look nice on their bedroom dresser. The truth is, formations get very ugly after they dry out and taken from the cave environment. Then there are vandals who just like to break things for the fun of it. It's not unusual to find a cave somewhere that vandals have simply went on a damage mission leaving thousands of years of natures work lying on the floor.

 The only good way to enjoy cave formations is to see them in the cave. If you really like formations, then bring a camera and take a photo. Your photo may be the last time you will see the formation before some stupid idiot breaks it off. Remember that formations are to be looked at .... Not touched or broken! Hopefully, future generations will have something to look at if everyone will follow this rule.

 The photos below show what two vandals did in a Pennsylvania cave. Also shown are photos of cavers cleaning the paint off the cave walls.

 The two vandals that were responsible for this act were in fact caught later by the police. They had to pay some hefty court fines and make restitution to the cave owner. They were just lucky they didn't serve some jail time!

Pennsylvania State Police investigate

Cavers removing the paint