In the stunning Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, a seemingly minor act of carelessness created major environmental consequences. A tourist dropped a bright orange bag of Cheetos inside the Big Room, the largest single cave chamber in North America.
The park’s officials swiftly addressed the incident in a viral Facebook post, explaining how the processed corn chips, softened by the cave’s high humidity, fostered an ideal environment for molds and fungi to flourish. This sudden influx of nutrients upset the delicate microbial balance, encouraging cave crickets, mites, spiders, and flies to create a temporary food web which spread organic decay and unpleasant odors.
Rangers spent 20 minutes meticulously removing the contaminated debris, emphasizing that even small actions can have “world-changing” effects on such ancient and sensitive ecosystems.
