Australian vandals destroy 30,000-year-old rock art

ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) — Australian authorities say vandals have destroyed rock art believed to be some 30,000 years old. Kyam Maher, the attorney-general of South Australia state, said the vandals appeared to have removed parts of a barbed wire fence at Koonalda Cave and got underneath, before using their fingers to draw over the top of the Indigenous artwork. He said anybody found responsible could face criminal prosecution. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Wednesday: “This is, quite frankly, shocking. These caves are some of the earliest evidence of Aboriginal occupation of that part of the country.” The art is considered sacred to the Indigenous Mirning people who live on the Nullarbor Plain.