Spanish authorities have taken into custody a man who allegedly damaged ancient cave paintings, potentially thousands of years old, by pouring water on them in an attempt to capture better photos for social media, CNN reports.
A 39-year-old resident of Los Villares, in Andalucia, southern Spain, uploaded photos of the wet paintings to Facebook, sparking the investigation. The Guardia Civil, Spain’s national police force, issued a statement confirming the inquiry.
The cave paintings, located in various locations within the Sierra Sur de Jaén mountain range, are protected under Spain’s heritage register. The man is being investigated for a crime against historical heritage.
Officers from the Guardia Civil’s nature protection service (Seprona) launched an investigation in May after seeing the photos online.
“The photographs show that water has been poured onto the cave paintings, wetting them in order to see them better and capture a clearer image,” the statement said.
The cave paintings were made on limestone, which contains water-soluble salts. When water is poured on the paintings, these salts dissolve and then come to the surface when the water evaporates, leaving a crust that causes “irreparable damage” to the paintings, according to the Guardia Civil.
The law enforcement agency, which is responsible for protecting Spain’s historical heritage, called on residents to report any signs of damage or vandalism to cave paintings.
Concerns about damage to historical objects extend beyond Spain, with reports of similar incidents emerging from Italy.
In September, a 22-year-old German tourist was apprehended in Florence for vandalizing a statue in the 16th-century Fountain of Neptune in Piazza della Signoria.
According to a statement from city authorities, the unnamed tourist climbed over a protective barrier surrounding the monument in the early hours of Monday and posed on the statue while two companions took photographs. Police officers witnessed the event on surveillance footage and detained the individual.