Safety Equipment damages
Police are investigating the destruction of crucial safety technology and the theft of a popular emu chick sculpture at Kalbarri National Park.
Kalbarri Police officer-in-charge Sergeant Darren Connor said lives had been put at risk by the vandalism of a thermometer, which is believed to have occurred last week between 7am Thursday and 7am Friday.
He said the thermometer, which warned park visitors of sometimes soaring temperatures in the picturesque gorge, was damaged by vandals.
“That thermometer is located just near Nature’s Window car park and this is a piece of equipment that is integral to people’s safety because it gives visitors an understanding of the temperatures at the time,” Sergeant Connor said.
Sergeant Darren Connor says vandals have put lives at risk. It is certainly a risk to people’s safety, and it is just disappointing that people have taken these steps to effectively put people’s lives on the line.”
There have been a number of rescues there due to heat exhaustion and some visitors have died from heat stroke in the gorge, where temperatures can be 10 degrees Celsius higher than surrounding areas.
Kalbarri was one of the hottest locations in Western Australia on Christmas Day.
“History tells us that people have come unstuck in the park and a lot of that is attributed to excessive heat,” Sergeant Connor said.
Story by Cecile O’Connor news reported ABC
