Galapagos environmental emergency

Kapal di Galapagos

Sumber gambar, AFP

The government in Ecuador has declared an emergency in the Galapagos islands. A ship carrying petrol which got stuck on the rocks last week may still carry a threat to the island group's plants and animals.

Reporter:

Mattia Cabitza

REPORT

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The petrol tanker became stranded off the island of San Cristobal on Friday. But despite having emptied the ship's cargo, the authorities fear that some remaining pollutants, like motor oil, could spill over and cause environmental damage.

They said they're working to remove the vessel. This is not the first ship accident in the Galapagos. In 2001, another stranded petrol tanker spilled fuel and decimated marine life.

The Galapagos are home to unique animals such as the giant tortoise, the marine iguana and the flightless cormorant. The archipelago is also known for its endemic finches, which were studied in the 1830s by the British scientist Charles Darwin. He went on to publish On the Origin of Species, his revolutionary book on evolution.

VOCABULARY

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Lewatkan Paling banyak dibaca dan terus membaca
Paling banyak dibaca

Akhir dari Paling banyak dibaca

tanker: kapal besar yang dirancang untuk membawa minyak atau gas

stranded: terdampar, kandas

cargo: barang atau muatan yang dibawa kapal, truk, kereta maupun pesawat terbang

vessell: kapal

decimated: rusak, hancur

iguanaa: kadal besar di kawasan tropis Amerika

flightless: tidak bisa terbang (biasanya untuk menggambarkan burung-burung yang tidak bisa terbang walau punya sayap)

endemic: amat biasa di tempat tertentu