On 25 July 2020, a Japanese ship called MV Wakashio carrying an estimated 4,000 tonnes of oil, struck a coral reef and spilled more than 1,000 tonnes of oil in the offshores of Pointe d’Esny, south of Mauritius.
Scientists have called this MV Wakashio oil spill as the country’s worst ecological disaster because the oil spill took place near two protected marine ecosystems, and Blue Bay Marine Park reserve which is home to turtles, 72 species of fish and 38 coral species.
Most of the mammals including birds can die from hypothermia due to oil spills.