The indigenous art in the Koonalada Caves in Australia has been destroyed by vandals.
The art dates back 22,000 years and is sacred to the First Nations people of Australia.
News.com.au reported the people who destroyed the art, allegedly dug under a steel gate earlier in the year and destroyed a section of the finger-marked cave art at the heritage site.
The group also graffitied the words: "Don't look now, but this is a death cave."
A spokesperson for the South Australian Government said the vandalism was "shocking and heartbreaking."
"If these vandals can be apprehended they should face the full force of the law," the spokesperson said.
News.com.au reported the South Australian Government had consulted with Traditional Owners to plan how to protect the important site more.
"The existing fencing and general difficulty in accessing the caves deter the vast majority of visitors from trespassing," the spokesperson said.
The art on the Koonalda Caves holds great spiritual importance to the Mirning people of the Nullabor Plain and is critical to the archaeological understanding of all indigenous Australians.
News.com.au reported the Miring people were not recognised as traditional custodians of the land under Australian law.
They needed to request permission from the South Australian Government to access the site.
The Koonalada Caves was the first site people could date indigenous rock art to earlier than 8000 BC.
