We all know that when we're out in nature we should leave it as we found it.
In fact, part of the beauty of observing nature and being surrounded by the wonders of wildlife is that we're supposed to leave it untouched, and as natural as possible.
Yet in North America, a food item has sparked outrage and a viral warning after officials at Carlsbad Caverns National Park revealed how a dropped snack could have caused 'world-changing' chaos inside the largest cave in North America.
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The national park, located in the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico, is home to more than 119 caves, dramatic canyons, and an array of wildlife including bats, cougars, and cave swallows. Its crown jewel, known as the Big Room, is the biggest cave chamber on the continent, stretching nearly 4,000 feet in length. But this natural wonder is also highly vulnerable to human impact and single bag of Cheetos nearly brought it down.
On 6 September 2024, the park’s Facebook page shared a post after a tourist dropped a full bag of Cheetos inside the Big Room. Rangers warned that what might seem like a harmless slip could have disastrous consequences for the delicate ecosystem, and could have upset the nature imbalance.
While visitors may think of the snack bag as 'incidental litter', officials explained that the chips quickly softened in the humid cave air, creating the perfect breeding ground for fungi and microbial life.
This sudden abundance of food sparked a ripple effect, with insects including crickets, spiders, and flies moving in to feed, forming a new, temporary food web. Mould then spread up cave walls, fruiting, dying, and releasing odours, disrupting the fragile balance of life underground.
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The post warned: "At the scale of human perspective, a spilled snack bag may seem trivial, but to the life of the cave it can be world changing."
Thankfully, rangers removed the Cheetos before any long term damage could occur.
Yet the incident has become a teaching moment, as officials stressed that while some human impact can be unavoidable, discarded food and trash are preventable and can cause lasting harm.
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“Here at Carlsbad Caverns, we love that we can host thousands of people in the cave each day," the park said.
"Incidental impacts can be difficult or impossible to prevent. Like the simple fact that every step a person takes into the cave leaves a fine trail of lint.
“Other impacts are completely avoidable. Like a full snack bag dropped off-trail in the Big Room. To the owner of the snack bag, the impact is likely incidental. But to the ecosystem of the cave it had a huge impact.”
The unnamed tourist responsible for the Cheetos was not identified, but the park’s message was clear as it stressed that every visitor has a responsibility to protect natural spaces.
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The post ended: "Great or small we all leave an impact wherever we go. Let us all leave the world a better place than we found it."
Naturally, many people were frustrated by the tourist's actions, however unintentional they may have been.
"Why it’s so difficult to follow instructions," one fumed.
"The rangers are very clear in all of this, once you go to visit the caverns. If you don’t care at all about ecosystem and consequences then stay in your home."
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Someone else added: "Why do people think this is ok? When I was there walking through the cave a man in the group ahead of us vaped the whole time. I just cringed thinking about what that smoke and chemicals would to the cave environment."
For tourists planning to explore Carlsbad Caverns, or any other protected site, the lesson is simple: keep a tight hold of your snacks. Even something as small as a crisp could alter the hidden world beneath our feet and have a huge impact.
Niamh Spence