June 28 (UPI) -- Police in the Australian state of New South Wales say they have levied fines against two nude beachgoers who had to be rescued after being spooked by a deer and running into a forest.
The two men were breaking coronavirus lockdowns by sunbathing naked on a remote beach south of Sydney, NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller told reporters Monday, but worsened their offense when, after being startled by a deer, they fled into the Royal National Park and got lost.
The men, aged 30 and 49, were fined $760 for breaking the COVID-19 rules after authorities came to their rescue Sunday evening.
Residents of Sydney and many other parts of the state were placed under stay-at-home orders earlier in the day as Australia scrambled to counter the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Even though the men were fined, Fuller said their actions cost the community more because of the resources needed to track them down.
"It's difficult to legislate against idiots," the commissioner said. "Clearly, by putting people at risk by leaving home without a proper reason, and then getting lost in a national park, diverting important resources away from the health operation, they should be embarrassed."