Michael Yamashitaさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Michael YamashitaInstagram)「A major ecological crisis is unfolding on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa. A Japanese cargo ship has run aground on a coral reef and spilled more than 1000 tons of crude oil onto the waters along the pristine beaches of this island nation. Mauritius is hugely dependent on tourists who come not only to bask on those beaches and swim in its aquamarine waters but also to see the many endangered species of flora and fauna that exist only on the island. Mauritius has declared a state of emergency as the ship remains precariously perched on the reef with another 3000 tons of crude still on board. The spill has locals mounting a massive clean-up operation despite their inexperience in dealing with this kind of ecological disaster. They are racing against the clock and the tides, fashioning floating booms from plastic bottles, leaves and even human hair to block the spill from advancing toward the shoreline. They've been joined by teams sent by France and Japan to investigate and assist in the cleanup. Vikash Tatayah, conservation director at Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, a non-governmental organization said the spill has set back two decades' worth of restoration of natural wildlife and plants in the lagoon. Among the endangered animals are these giant tortoises I photographed 3 years ago when I was invited by the Ministry of tourism to document their eco-tourism attractions. Though the spill has received little international attention, it is an example of how precarious the ecological balance is all over the world. To help fund the cleanup and protect the native animal populations., please consider donating to: ‪https://www.mauritian-wildlife.org/donate‬ . If you would like to contribute to helping Mauritian Wildlife Foundation actions, please contact MWF hotlines ‪+5710 4141‬, ‪5473 0103‬ and ‪+5948 9823‬ and let them know how you can help.」8月13日 0時00分