Google has removed from its "Street View" virtual roaming service images that were allowing visitors to virtually navigate the Australian site of Uluru, which is sacred to indigenous people and closed to tourists for a year, according to what the group announced Friday.
The Natural Parks Authority of Australia (Parks Australia) has requested that these images be removed based on the wishes of the Anangu people, who are the indigenous people who traditionally own the site.
Uluru-Kata Tjuta, in central Australia, which is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, attracts large numbers of tourists who want to see its rock formation, also known as Ayers Rock. But it was permanently closed to tourists on October 26, 2019 at the request of the Anangu people, who consider it sacred.
A Google spokesman said, "We understand that Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park holds a great sacredness to the Anangu people." "We removed the images as soon as the Australian Parks Authority expressed concern about this contribution from visitors," he added.
The American group explained that the photos that it removed had been taken by users of its Google Maps service before the site was closed to tourists.
Uluru is of great spiritual and cultural significance to Indigenous Australians, who have had a strong connection with it for tens of thousands of years.
