The National Park Service, as well as the sheriff’s office suspect that a skinny dipper is responsible for the death of a rare fish.
The authorities stated that three men broke into Devils Hole after a night of drinking. This is a protected area which is a part of the National Park Death Valley.
Probably because of the alcohol in his blood, one of them decided to go skinny dipping in the only habitat of the Devils Hole pupfish. This is one of the world’s rarest fish.
Since one of the pupfish was later found dead, the authorities suspect that the intrusion is the reason for this. Still, the cause for the rare species’ death is not clear. No matter what caused it, this death is a real tragedy for biodiversity. At the last count, made in April, there were only 115 Devils Hole pupfish in the world according to the National Park Service.
Drunken and Stupid
The National Park stated that there was a video footage of the man. He was recorded on the shallow shelf where he was probably stressing the pupfish. This species is slow-moving, and curious by nature. Since it has no natural enemies, it is not used to avoiding dangers.
As an animal species, this blue, inch-long pupfish is incredible. Scientists consider that the pupfish have survived in the Mojave Desert for tens of thousands of years. They did not move to another location and they coped with harsh environment there. These desert conditions are usually not suitable for fish. But his species survived in them for an incredible period of time.
The National Park Service is bothered that the intruder totally damaged the pupfish habitat. The algae and the food supply are probably damaged. The man might have also crushed the eggs. Since April and May are in the spawning season, the intrusion came in a quite inappropriate moment.
How This Happened?
In the footage, released by the National Park Service, three men riding off-road can be seen. Then, they reached the tall black fences which protect Devils Hole. Police made a statement that the three men came to this place after a long night. They obviously spent it in shooting rabbits and drinking lots of alcohol.
The men were armed with a shotgun. They used it to fire at least 10 shots into the gates’ locks, the surveillance cameras and the electric sensors. The drunken men also removed the cables from the security cameras. They damaged some scientific equipment, too.
After leaving the place, the three men left behind them the dirty boxers of the dipper, as well as three beer cans and even some vomit. And the biggest problem – a dead rare pupfish was found nearby.
The policemen now have three suspects and they are all Nevada residents. Federal charges will be probably filed against the three hooligans. The possible counts include trespassing, conspiracy to commit a crime, killing of an endangered species, property destruction, and a destruction of a habitat.