Botanical Garden vandals on joyride trample bluebonnets, leave golf cart in lake

Executive director believes vandals hopped fence

SAN ANTONIO – Someone took an off-hours and illegal tour of the San Antonio Botanical Garden between Saturday night and Sunday morning, and it probably wasn't the Easter Bunny.

Vandals left broken cacti, trampled blue bonnets, busted chess pieces and tire tracks behind them on an apparent joyride before dumping the golf cart into a lake.

SABG executive director Bob Brackman called the damage "unfortunate," but also minor. It's also "extremely rare" that something like this happens.

"We've been very fortunate. I think the city as a whole really appreciates its cultural institutions, and we find that true, especially here," Brackman said. "But occasionally there's a situation that isn't what we want, and this was one of those."

Brackman said the thieves got in by hopping a fence. The golf cart they used has been taken out of the lake and will be inspected Monday for damage.

Staff cleaned up some of the obvious signs of damage, and visitors to the garden seemed none the wiser that anything had happened.

"No, we haven't seen any damage. Just been enjoying the plant life and flowers and haven't noticed anything," visitor Michael Imber said.

Brackman said they're moving on from the incident.

"There are greater things happening in the world right now than worrying whether my spring wildflowers got damaged. So they'll come back and be just fine. And the summer flowers will replace them and the garden will be colorful as we are 12 months a year."

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About the Author:

Garrett Brnger is a reporter with KSAT 12.