Photo: NPS Photos / D. Pawlak
The National Park Service is asking visitors to the Grand Canyon to stop leaving behind "love locks" as a sign of their commitment to one another. Love locks are padlocks, usually marked with a couple's name or initials, that are locked onto fences throughout the park as a sign of good luck in their relationship.
Then, the key to the padlock is tossed away into a nearby body of water or over the rim of the canyon, symbolizing their unbreakable love for each other.
"Love is strong, but it is not as strong as our bolt cutters," the Grand Canyon wrote on Facebook.
Officials called the locks "a form of graffiti" and warned that the discarded keys can be hazardous to wildlife.
"Condors are curious animals and, much like a small child, will investigate strange things they come across with their mouths. Condors love shiny things. They will spot a coin, a wrapper, or a shiny piece of metal, like a key from a padlock that has been tossed into the canyon, and eat it. Condors are not meant to digest metal and many times cannot pass these objects," officials cited as an example.
"Do your part to not contribute to these bad habits and inform others of what can happen to the wildlife if these behaviors continue," the post concludes.