A wondrous, one of a kind, helicitite once graced the wall of the Bears Cave in Yeghegnadzor, Armenia. Now, it is gone.

Steven Johnson, a member of the U.S. National Speleological Society, took a photo of this most delicate of cave formations in 2009 when he and other members of the NSS visited Armenia to research the country’s caves.

Upon returning to the States, Steven Johnson and Chuck Chavdarian, also a member of the NSS who made the trip, wrote an article on Armenia’s caves that appeared in the NSS newsletter.  They mentioned the helicitite that they uncovered in the Bears Cave.

In 2011, Chavdarian and a few colleagues returned to Armenia to continue their research. To their surprise, the helicitite had vanished. I was told the story by Smbat Davtyan, a member of Armenia’s Speleological Center, who had accompanied the U.S. researchers.

Last year, the Armenian group “We Will Not Remain Silent” circulated the news that unidentified people had entered the cave, damaging the natural formations inside.

In response, Armenia’s “Agency for the Protection of the Historical Environment and Cultural Museum Reservations” (APHECMR - a non-commercial state organization attached to the Ministry of Culture), declared on its website that no one had entered the cave. The agency claimed that it had made an on-site investigation and had found no traces of human entry.

At a press conference held earlier this year, members of Armenia’s Speleological Center again raised the issue of the missing helicitite. Smbat Davtyan also criticized how Armenia’s caves are being monitored and pointed to the missing formation as proof.

Once again, the APHECMR was quick to issue a denial that anyone had entered the cave, since no footprints were found. This second denial seemed to have put a lid on the story.

The article in the NSS newsletter continues to attract foreign tourists. This year, members of Great Britain’s Speological Association contacted the article’s co-authors and visited Armenia with Chuck Chavdarian.

Chavdarian asked that Smbat Davtyan escort the British cavers. During their tour they also searched for the helicitite in Bears Cave and came up empty-handed.

Bears Cave	Hanging helicitite mysteriously disappears.    British cavers can’t find it!

Davtyan says it’s impossible that the helicitite fell on it on. “It was pulled off. No question. Otherwise, we would have found the broken pieces on the floor.’

Davtyan goes on to say that the formation was too big to have been placed in a sack, and was probably carried away by hand. Thus, APHECMR employees would have seen the looter with his spoils, he argues.

The APHECMR has not contacted the police about the missing helicitite.

This is what Marineh Avanesyan, the APHECMR’s Public Affairs Assistant, told Hetq.

“We haven’t informed the police because we found no human traces at the cave. No one entered the cave. Usually, if there is evidence of a crime, we contact law enforcement.”

I asked her several more questions on the matter.

Does your agency have guards to monitor entry to the caves?

We have guardians, not guards. They are monument guardians.

OK. But does anyone monitor the entry and exit to such places?

Our guardians conduct roving inspections. The Agency’s regional branch has guardians. They tour all the monument sites. Since there are many monuments, the guardians draw up an inspection schedule, according to which they get to all the sites.

Are they there every day?

It’s hard to say. There at each site probably two or three times a week. They can’t be there every day. They follow the schedule.

So, it’s possible that someone entered the cave on the day when the monitors weren’t there.

Impossible, we would have found footprints, traces.

Smbat Davtyan reported the incident a while after it happened. Maybe, there were no traces when you people showed up.

I don’t know. What I want to know is why Davtyan waited so long to report this.

What I’d like to know is why your agency wasn’t aware that it happened at all?

Let me repeat. We followed up when the incident was reported. We inspected the site and found no footprints.

So, what you are saying is that had the incident not been reported you wouldn’t have known about it?

No. While I understand your question, it’s not possible. Regardless of receiving any reports, our guardians make spot checks periodically of the caves anyway. They inspect all the caves. Had they notices something out of the ordinary, they would have informed us and the incident would have been registered. In that case, we would have surely informed law enforcement.

But, if there is proof that the helicitite has disappeared, how can it not be regarded as a violation?

There is one thing I don’t understand. Have you spoken to Mr. Davtyan?

Yes.

Did you ask him why he didn’t contact law enforcement one year ago, when he discovered the thing was missing?

He went to the press with his discovery.

I’m talking about something else. He saw the press coverage at the time.

Did you refute it?

Yes.

But how could you refute it. There is evidence that someone entered the cave. The helicitite is missing.

All I’m saying is that we followed up on the news and found no traces of entry.