Wednesday, February 19, 2014

World famous Pisco-Ica fossil beds in Peru under threat from Dakar Rally 2015

The Pisco-Ica desert on the southern coast of Peru is home to some of the richest fossil beds in the world, with abundant fossils of whales, dolphins, sharks and other marine life that lived during the Miocene period just lying on the surface waiting to be discovered and studied.

This is an artists view of the giant sperm whale Leviathan melvillei which was recently found in the area:


See full details of this find in the link below:

2012 Dakar Rally

The Pisco-Ica desert was also on the route of the 2012 Dakar Rally which resulted in the wanton destruction of some of these priceless treasures. See details of the proposed 2012 route below:


The following photographs show damage done to fossils and fossil beds in the Pisco-Ica desert during the 2012 Dakar Rally:






This is what one palaeontologist said after visiting the area after the 2012 Dakar Rally:

“Getting down there was an eye opener to what is going on. I wasn't familiar with the dangers of Dakar. At least, I wasn't aware it was as serious as it is. I always figured it was the same path over and over. I had no clue the vast numbers of tracks and the fact that they are everywhere and that there are oil filters, chunks of vehicles, and other debris and trash left behind”.

2015 Dakar Rally

Peru now plans to host the 2015 Dakar Rally using a similar route, which will destroy priceless treasures and deprive a proud nation of its cultural and geological heritage, as well as denying the world of science access to some of the most spectacular fossils in the world. See details of the announcement in the link below:


Posted: 20 February 2014.

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