14 DAY TRIAL // It's a well known fact that whenever some clues to a part of the Earth's history are discovered, either fossilized tracks, bones, or entire skeletons, people tend to become very curios and try to see these evidence for themselves, and perhaps even take something away as a souvenir.
And that's exactly what would have happened in the case of the bones found over the weekend near the Guadalupe River. Fortunately, a pair of self-appointed guardians camped out overnight to protect the possible prehistoric find from any curiosity seekers, as reported by Chuck Carroll for Mercury News.
In the hours since news of the discovery hit the airwaves midday Tuesday, the bones have drawn a curious few to the area, some of them bearing shovels and pails, said Mike Shire and David Gurley, a couple of photographers, curiosity seekers themselves, who guarded the site overnight.
With the help of amateur paleontologist Steve Marley, they obtained permission from the Santa Clara Valley Water District to stay with the bones until a professional could decide what should be done with them. "Nobody was taking charge. Everybody was tromping all over it.''
The two put up yellow caution tape around the bones, and the water district also hired a security guard who kept watch on a dirt road leading to the site. And it's a good thing that they've decided to help, because several people tried to enter the perimeter of the findings and search for some more fossils.
To amateurs, the bones appear to include two tusks, a pelvic bone and a leg bone that measures about 16 inches around. They were found Saturday by an amateur naturalist named Roger Castillo.