Wildlife Conservation Society Discovered Ancient Cave Drawings Dating 4,000 – 10,000 Years Old – ‘Since We Often Work In Remote Locations, We Sometimes Make Surprising Discoveries,’ Researcher Says

While the researchers of the Wildlife Conservation Society was trailing pig-like creatures called white-lipped peccaries in the Cerrado highland in Brazil, they made a startling discovery of cave drawings of ancient animals, like reptiles, birds and armadillos who were believed to have been created by hunter societies thousands of years ago. Human figures and geometric shapes were also among the drawings discovered on the exploration that happened in 2009.

"Our work with the Wildlife Conservation Society focuses on promoting sustainable land use practices that help protect important wildlife species and the wild places where they live," Doctor Alexine Keuroghlian, researcher with WCS's Brazil Program, explained. "Since we often work in remote locations, we sometimes make surprising discoveries, in this case, one that appears to be important for our understanding of human cultural history in the region."

The rock art were the etching of the ancient animals where found was said to have been drawn by hunter-gatherers within the period of 4,000 and 10,000 years old, according to the Archaeologists who examined it.

"Since we often work in remote locations, we sometimes make surprising discoveries, in this case, one that appears to be important for our understanding of human cultural history in the region," as stated by Alexine Keuroghlian.

Many of the rock art are said to be of Planalto ("central Brazilian plateau") custom, astoundingly a few were seemed to be in Nordeste ("northeastern Brazil") or Agreste ("forest to arid-land transition in NE Brazil") tradition.

"These discoveries of cave drawings emphasize the importance of protecting the Cerrado and Pantanal ecosystems, both for their cultural and natural heritage," according to the Director of WCS's Latin America and Caribbean Program and a well-known expert on Mayan archaeology, Doctor Julie Kunen. "We hope to partner with local landowners to protect these cave sites, as well as the forests that surround them, so that the cultural heritage and wildlife depicted in the drawings are preserved for future generations."

The white-lipped peccaries with a scientific name of Tayassu pecari, are included as one of the vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. These animals can be found from the area of southern Mexico going as far as northern Argentina. At present, it is vulnerable to threats of deforestation and hunting in the wild.