Scientists warn auto rally over endangering fossils

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/15/scientists-warn-auto-rally-over-endangering-fossils/

Scientists warn auto rally over endangering fossils
By Agence France-Presse
Saturday, December 15, 2012 21:00 EST

Palaeontologists have warned that the Dakar Rally, which will thunder through Peru and Chile next month, poses a serious risk to whale and dolphin fossils dating back more than 20 million years.

Scientists issued their warning to highlight claims that the 2012 edition of the gruelling 8,400 kilometre endurance event had caused irreparable damage to ancient Miocene era sites in the Ica region of southern Peru.

“The damage is evident in the area of Ica, where you can see the deterioration of many fossils because the vehicles drove over them,” Vildoso Carlos, director of the Peruvian Institute of Palaeontology, told AFP.

“We have many skeletons of large mammals, especially whales and dolphins, and the fossilized remains of invertebrates that have suffered damage due to passing vehicles. The course passed virtually over the animals.”