[00:01.01]Recently, there was another threat
[00:03.02]when the tanker Jessica ran aground
[00:04.83]near the islands.
[00:06.48]It is believed to have leaked almost
[00:08.32]a million litres of oil into the sea.
[00:11.75]At first, it was feared that the islands'
[00:13.95]many unique species would be damaged,
[00:16.37]but the archipelago is expected
[00:18.13]to make a full recovery.
[00:20.45]By the time George was discovered,
[00:22.44]breeding programmes were known to be increasing
[00:24.88]the numbers of other tortoise sub-species,
[00:27.54]but is was acknowledged that his case
[00:29.12]was different.Unless a mate could be found,
[00:32.24]his group faced extinction.
[00:34.20]George was taken to the Charles Darwin Research
[00:36.55]Certre on Santa Cruz islandand
[00:38.80]and provided with a harem from related
[00:41.12]sub-species,but was said to
[00:42.98]have been uninterested.
[00:45.08]Thirty years later the last Geochelone
[00:47.37]elephantopus abingdoni is as lonesome as ever.
[00:50.25]