Over the course of several years one man made off with more than $1 million worth of barrel cacti. In an effort to deter others from absconding with the spiky succulents, Alice Newton implanted thousands of pit tags into barrel cacti, but also other, undisclosed species to deter theft starting in 2000. Data from the last two years is still being analyzed, but the program appears to be working, even though no subsequent arrests have been made. In Newton's view, that's a good thing. "The whole point is to prevent people from doing this in the first place," said Newton. "We judge our success by prevention, not by catching someone." It's a level of effectiveness the officials at Saguaro National Park hope to achieve as well. Related Links: Discovery Tech for news, interviews and more |
advertisement
Put Discovery News on Your Site!
|
-
our sites
-
video
mobile
-
shop
-
stay connected
-
corporate
