They de-nude-ed the landscape.
Another day, another instance of tourists disrespecting a landmark.
This time, foreign sightseers angered Namibian authorities after posing naked atop the legendary Big Daddy Dune in the Namib Desert, as seen in photos circulating on social media.
“It is very sickening and it really [creates] a bad image for Namibia,” Kenneth Nependa, vice-chairperson of the Federation of Namibian Tourism Associations, told the Namibian Sun, the BBC reported.
He added that these antics risked attracting tourists who think that “anything goes” in the southern African nation.
Accompanying footage and video, snapped by an unknown source, shows the unnamed trio strutting about in their birthday suits atop the over 1,000-foot-tall sand mound, which is reportedly popular with families.
Visitors didn’t appreciate the tourists treating the scenic site like a nude beach and called on tourism officials to take action against the crass culprits.
Authorities haven’t yet publicly identified the sandy stripteasers, who allegedly left Namibia by the time authorities received the reports.
However, the nudists could be banned from entering the country’s parks, according to tourism ministers, who added that the “extremely shocking” act was public indecency and therefore punishable by local law.
In light of the indecent incident, officials are calling on visitors to report violators to authorities so they can deal with them accordingly.
“We appeal to that section of tourists to summon the conscience so that they do the right things,” declared Romeo Muyunda, a spokesperson for the ministry of environment, forestry and tourism.
However, many social media users disagreed that the incident was problematic.
“Why are they in trouble? They bothered no one,” an X user declared, according to the BBC, while another claimed that there is “nothing wrong with sunbathing.”
Big Daddy is one of the three largest dunes in Namibia’s Namib-Naukluft National Park and is a popular destination among sightseers looking to get a picturesque view from its crest.
