Lizard Dies After Eating Used Condom... Spanish Island Threatened by 'Couple Tourists'

Over 300 'Sexual Encounter Spots' Found at Famous Tourist Destinations

Tourists on the beach of Gran Canaria Island, Canary Islands, Spain. / Photo by Gran Canaria Official Website Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] The ecosystem of the Canary Islands in Spain is reportedly under threat due to environmental destruction, drawing significant attention. The main culprit has been identified as 'couple tourists' who roam famous tourist spots engaging in amorous activities.

According to the US 'CNN' broadcast on the 18th (local time), the recent issue of the 'Journal of Environmental Management' published a paper addressing the ecosystem destruction problem on Gran Canaria Island in the Canary Islands.

According to the paper, a staggering 298 sexual activity sites were discovered at 'Maspalomas Dunes,' a famous tourist destination on Gran Canaria Island. CNN commented, "Famous tourist spots and historic sites have been covered in trash," adding, "Now tourists engaging in sexual activities are damaging European beaches."

The scientists who authored the paper reportedly conducted a direct investigation of the Maspalomas Dunes area in 2018 to examine the environmental pollution issues on Gran Canaria.

The research results revealed that sexual activity sites were found in dense vegetation areas or depressions in the sand dunes. Even within restricted zones where public access is prohibited, 56 such sites were uncovered.

Gran Canaria Island is famous for its lush vegetation and sand dunes, but it has recently been reported that the ecosystem is being damaged by indiscriminate tourists. / Photo by YouTube video capture

Tourists removed sand and bushes to create their own 'nests' by erecting fences, and they illegally discarded trash such as cigarettes, condoms, toilet paper, wet wipes, and cans, leaving them behind. Some even used the sand dunes as restrooms.

The more secluded and less frequented the area, the higher the frequency of its use as a sexual activity site, resulting in more trash being found. Due to this situation, local authorities installed trash bins nearby, but tourists reportedly continued to litter the surroundings.

A more serious problem is that the reckless behavior of some tourists has caused harm to the animals inhabiting the area.

Patrick Hesp, the paper's author, pointed out, "At first glance, sexual activity might seem to have no environmental impact, but the problem lies in tourists removing vegetation and creating paths to make sexual nests, thereby damaging the dune area. If rare wild plants disappear, it also affects animals. For example, lizards need to hide around vegetation to avoid predators, but with plants gone, they face survival difficulties."

There were also cases where animals ingested trash discarded by tourists. According to Hesp, a native lizard that feeds on jellyfish died after eating a condom discarded following sexual activity.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.