Two hikers on Vancouver Island made a gruesome find Sunday when an afternoon stroll turned up a human skull.
The pair was walking on a beach at Roberts Memorial Park, south of Nanaimo, when they found the skull lodged between some rocks and the tide line.
One of the hikers picked up the skull with a stick and carried it to a grassy area before calling Mounties.
An RCMP forensic specialist examined the skull at the scene and said it does not appear the find is associated with criminal activity.
The skull has now been sent to anthropology specialists to determine its age, sex and ethnicity.
Const. Gary O'Brien said a preliminary report indicates that the skull has been at the location for some time.
"It's from a body there many, many years ago," he told ctvbc.ca.
O'Brien said it's common for animal bones to wash up on the beach in that area, but it's unusual to see human bones.
"We often get seal bones washing up on the beach, sometimes eagles or seagulls, and we get a lot of calls about that," he said.
