Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Guácharo Cave Is Crumbling

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CARACAS, Dec 5 2005 (IPS) - Stalactites, stalagmites and other formations in Guáharo Cave, in northeast Venezuela, the largest in the country at 10.2 km long, are threatened by sewage, garbage left behind by visitors, and rats that are destroying birdnests. “It is the only Venezuelan cave outfitted for tourist visits, and has rich biodiversity that is always being studied,” geographer Efraín Tapiquén, of La Salle Natural History Museum, told Tierramérica. “The government should declare an emergency,” he said.

Already declared a natural monument, national park and a candidate for a UN natural heritage of humanity site for the last 25 years, the cave is famous for serving as home to the guácharo bird (Steatornis caripensis), which nests there, though feeds on fruits at night, flying great distances. The cave was explored two centuries ago by the famed German naturalist Alejandro Von Humboldt.