SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Rangers from a Utah national park are asking for the public's help to recover over 200 million year old "extremely rare" missing fossils.
Officials determined that trace reptile fossils dating from the Triassic period — which happened between 200 and 250 million years ago — were stolen from a trackway within Capitol Reef National Park sometime between August, 2017 and August, 2018, according to a release.
KSL reported that rangers first began searching for the fossils earlier this year when they posted a Facebook photo of the trackway and a commenter, who is a paleontologist, pointed out that something appeared to be missing.
Officials called the missing fossils "irreplaceable paleontological resources."
The National Park Service is offering up to $1,000 for information that leads to the identification and prosecution of those responsible for the alleged theft. Anyone with information is asked to call or text a tip to 888-653-0009, submit a tip online here or email the park here.
"Vandalism hurts. Some of the oldest and most extensive reptile tracks in the western United States are found within Capitol Reef National Park," officials wrote in the release. "Fossils preserve the record of life on earth and are exceedingly rare."
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