(Reuters) – An online video of two Boy Scouts of America leaders knocking over a 170-million-year-old rock formation in a Utah State Park has touched off worldwide outrage, state officials said yesterday, and the two men may face charges.
The video was posted on YouTube showing scout leader Glenn Taylor dislodging the massive rock free from its tiny perch in Goblin Valley State Park as Dave Hall films him while singing and laughing.
“We, we have now modified Goblin Valley!” Hall shouts into the camera. “A new Goblin Valley exists with this boulder down here at the bottom!”
The rock formation, known as a “goblin,” dates to the late Jurassic era and is one of many that give the desert park a surreal appearance that draws visitors from around the world.
The video has been viewed more than 1.4 million times since it was uploaded to YouTube by the Salt Lake Tribune newspaper on Thursday. Fred Hayes, Utah State Parks director, said his office has been inundated with angry calls and emails.
