‘Whoa, whoa, whoa!': Helicopter pilot discovers mysterious metal monolith in wilds of Utah

A strange monolith has been found in a remote part of Utah, US, after being spotted by state employees counting sheep from a helicopter. While taking to Instagram, Utah’s highway petrol shared images of both the sheep and the monolith and informed that the metal ram estimated at between 10ft and 12ft high appeared to be planted deep in the ground. The monolith is made of smooth, black-grey metal, inline anything seen in the nearby red rocks. 

READ: Banksy's Hula-hooping Girl Artwork Bicycle, Thought To Be Stolen, Replaced

While speaking to a local news channel KSLTV, the helicopter pilot, Bret Hutchings, said that the monolith has been about the “strangest thing” that he came across in all his years of dying. Hutchings informed that he was flying for the Utah department of public safety, which was helping wildfire resource officers count bighorn sheep in the south of the state. He said that one of the biologists spotted the metal sheet when they just happened to fly directly over the top of it. 

The pilot said that the object looked manmade and appeared to have been firmly planted in the ground, not dropped from the sky. Hutchings noted that the object’s similarity to the iconic evolutionary monolith featured in a famous Stanley Kubrick film. He also believes that its likely a work of art by someone that was a big fan of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. 

READ: Canadian Officials Urge Citizens To Not Let Moose Lick Their Cars As They Are 'too Salty'

‘What if it isn’t an art piece’ 

The state department crew had landed to take a closer look at the monolith, which Sts in the centre of a small canyon cul-de-sac. Hutchings to the media outlet that the team initially were also joking around that if one of them suddenly disappears, then the rest of them can make a run for it. Meanwhile, the officials have not disclosed the fact location of the monolith as they fear that amateur explorers might get stuck in the wilderness while seeking the object. 

Since the news broke, several observers have also compared the monolith to the plank sculptures by artists John McCracken. Another artist, Liam Sharp, summed up the people’s fascination with the discovery. While taking to Twitter, he wrote that he imagines it to be an art piece, but also added, “what if it isn’t”. 

READ: How Do Tigers' Different Stripe Patterns Help Them Hunt Successfully?

READ: Man Shows The Art Of 'cup Stacking', Sets A New Record | Watch