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Tourists who travel from far and wide to witness Australia's impressive bushland are being warned to look, and only look, after national park rangers have recently had their days filled with poo collection duties thanks to unwanted deposits visitors. Rangers at Carnarvon Gorge, a popular national park in Queensland's central highlands, have reportedly been dodging human waste like "minefields" and finding all kinds of "gross" discoveries, with some visitors choosing to relieve themselves right beside walking tracks and leaving their waste in full view for fellow bushwalkers to see later. Not only is it unsightly, with human waste taking up to 12 months to decompose — and often longer in cooler temperatures — but it .

Often toilet paper, and even soiled undies, are left on the ground too. National park rangers are urging visitors to think ahead before embarking on long bush walks and are urged to use the bathroom facilities available, pack a shovel or bring a bag. "When you've got to go, you've got to go — we do understand that but probably a little bit of thinking before you go and preparation would make it much easier," Lindie Pasma, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service ranger-in-charge at Carnarvon Gorge, told .



She said patrolling the luscious landscape for human waste is definitely "not our favourite part of the job." Visitors are urged to bury their waste 15 centimetres deep and ensure the position is at least 100 metres away from waterways — with rangers sugges.

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