Miley Cyrus Criticized For Photos Of Her Posing On A Joshua Tree

Miley Cyrus has received criticism over recent pictures of her posing on a Joshua tree branch in an unidentified location.

The former Hannah Montana star posted two photos of her sitting on a Joshua tree branch on Instagram.

The first photo has the caption, “Looking down at all the petty drama like….,” wrote Cyrus. While the second photo has the caption, “Monkey Bizzzzznassssss.”

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These pictures which have collected over 1,000,000 likes, have garnered criticism from Joshua Tree National Park and the National Wildlife Federation.

According to the National Wildlife Federation, Joshua trees are not really trees, but a type of plant that stores water. They can grow up to nine feet tall before branching, can live more than 500 years, and are only found in the Mojave Desert.

Joshua trees are a protected species under state law, and people are prohibited from cutting or damaging them.

In a statement from the Palm Springs Desert Sun, George Land, a spokesperson for Joshua Tree National Park said, “[They] would appreciate it that people would respect the fact that desert vegetation is a little bit fragile at times.”

“We don’t want to incite people to carry out some kind of threat against Miley Cyrus, or anybody else that would do that,” he continued. “We would just remind her that she has a big following, people watch what she does, and it would be greatly appreciated by the Park Service and the people around the area if she would maybe curb that type of activity, especially posting it on her social media page.”

Geary Hund, the executive director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust, also weighed in on the issue .

“We ask that Miley Cyrus consider her status as a public figure and remove this photo from her social media accounts in order to educate others and to prevent potential damage to Joshua trees,” said Hund in a statement.

Cyrus’s post comes three months after report surfaced that a portion of the Joshua Tree National Park were damaged during the partial government shutdown.

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Cyrus hasn’t responded to the backlash as of yet.