"One Carelessly Thrown Snack Bag Ruined the Cave Ecosystem"

"Creating a Perfect Environment for Microbes and Mold to Thrive"

In a U.S. national cave park, a snack bag was discovered, prompting the park authorities to warn visitors that the bag had disrupted the cave ecosystem.

On the 9th (local time), according to CNN and other media, Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico recently announced via Facebook that a visitor dropped a snack bag inside the park's 'Big Room' cave, causing a 'significant impact' on the ecosystem. Tourists are only allowed to bring water into the cave. This is because consuming food other than water inside the cave could introduce foreign organisms into the cave environment.

A discarded snack bag inside the 'Big Room' cave in Carlsbad. [Image source=Carlsbad Caverns National Park Facebook]

However, photos released by the park showed a snack bag, presumed to be Cheetos, discarded inside the cave. The park stated, "Whether big or small, we all have subtle impacts on the world," adding, "Just like the snack bag left in the Big Room cave." They continued, "The owner of the snack bag likely dropped it carelessly, but it had a tremendous effect on the cave ecosystem," and explained, "The processed corn softened by the cave's humidity created a perfect environment for microbes and mold to thrive."

The park reported that crickets, mites, spiders, and flies gathered around the snack, forming a new food chain, and mold gradually spread to the surrounding cave and strata, producing a foul odor. Most of the microbes and mold found were not previously part of the cave ecosystem. As a result, park rangers carefully removed the mold and foreign substances from the cave surfaces.

Netizens who learned about the incident responded with various comments such as, "Strict management is necessary," "We need to realize that a single careless act can threaten a peaceful ecosystem," and "We must abandon the complacent mindset of 'It's just me'."

Meanwhile, the Big Room is known as the largest single cave in North America and is one of the most popular spots in the national park, accessible via a relatively flat path about 2 km long.