Two nude sunbathers have been fined $1,000 each for breaching COVID-19 lockdown while buck naked in Australia, after they ran away from some deer and called authorities for a rescue.
The bizarre incident played out Sunday evening in the state of New South Wales, where authorities say they rescued the two naked men from some bushland near a remote beach in Royal National Park.
“Unbelievably, we saw two men sunbaking naked on a beach in the south coast,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said at a press conference. “They were startled by a deer, ran into the national park and got lost.”
It was not clear how many deer were involved, or whether any of them were bucks.
“It’s difficult to legislate against idiots,” Fuller said. “But clearly putting people at risk by leaving home without a proper reason … and then getting lost in the national park and diverting important resources away from the health operation, I think they should be embarrassed.”
The men called for help and police ultimately showed up to find a 30-year-old man wearing nothing but a backpack, according to a news release.
“After a further search, a 49-year-old man, partially clothed, was also located,” authorities said, adding that a helicopter was involved in the search.
“Emergency services are too often called to situations where people have entered the bush without sufficient clothing, footwear, equipment or preparation for where they are going,” a spokesperson for the State Emergency Service told the Sydney Morning Herald.
The two men were transported to a local police station and fined for breaching the state’s coronavirus lockdown rules, amid a busy day for lockdown enforcement.
Commissioner Fuller says 44 people were fined $1,000 each for venturing out without a reasonable excuse on Sunday. Four of those individuals were also fined for failing to wear a face covering.
Police issued another fine on Monday, after a man interrupted Fuller at the press conference to declare himself the “prime creator of the Earth.”
“Did you receive my cease and desist notice?” the bearded man can be heard saying at the press conference, while attempting to hand a form over to the commissioner.
The 42-year-old was hit with a $1,000 fine later in the day, according to a police press release. Officials said that he did not have a “reasonable excuse” to be away from home.