Human Faeces, Garbage Overwhelm US National Parks Amid Gov't Shutdown - Reports

15:48 GMT, 2 January 2019

The partial shutdown of the US government has resulted in the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal government workers, causing some unexpected consequences.

Sputnik

National US parks have become overwhelmed with human faeces and garbage as the attractions remained open for visitors despite staff shortages due to the partial shutdown of the US government, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

An employee of the California-based Yosemite National Park, Dakota Snider, commented on the situation in a phone interview with American media, describing it as "heartbreaking" and further noting that she has never seen such "disregard for the rules" in the four years she has lived in the area.

Pelosi Can't Halt Gov’t Shutdown, Must Assign Money for Border Wall - Lawmaker

31 December 2018, 18:56 GMT

The unprecedented foul situation at the parks emerged in the state amid the partial closure of the federal government. The shutdown, which is currently on its 12th day, has led to the furlough of a staggering number of federal government staff.

The 2018-2019 government shutdown is now the fifth-longest in American history; the current record is 21 days, achieved in 1995 during the administration of two-term President Bill Clinton.