Tanzania to Preserve Famous Laetoli Australopithecus Tracks

In 1973, at the site of Laetoli, in Tanzania, the tracks of two hominids, who walked next to a smoldering volcano, were exposed, giving researchers an incredible window into the gait of some of our earliest ancestors. Dated to around 3.6 million years ago, the tracks were reburied to preserve them. According to a new report in AllAfrica:

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Ezekiel Maige stated in Arusha last week that the government has first to satisfy itself that once exposed the historical hominid prints will remain protected because the reason why they had to be covered in the first place was to shield them from environmental hazards.

"In about a year or two we will remove the protective layers and reveal the hominid foot prints, starting with a few then proceed gradually to expose them all. However, experts want a special sheltering structure built around them otherwise they will disappear once uncovered," he said.

Having a seventy-foot structure to protect the site would be ideal. It was truly an historic find.

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