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GHAT, LIBYA—Rock art in Libya’s Tadrart Acacus, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been vandalized by spray-painted graffiti and carved initials at an accelerated rate since the country’s civil war began in 2011. Hunters have taken over the landscape, killing off gazelles and wolves, while archaeologists and tourists stay away for safety concerns. The oldest paintings date back 14,000 years, and depict animals and plants that no longer live in the region. “The destruction is not just affecting the paintings but also the natural reserve. Hunters are to blame,” Ahmed Sarhan, a tourist ministry official in Ghat, told Reuters.
