The document summarizes information about an oil tanker disaster called the Prestige and an endangered lizard species called the El Hierro Giant Lizard. The Prestige oil tanker split in half off the coast of Spain in 2000, spilling over 76,000 cubic meters of oil. The captain was accused of not cooperating with salvage efforts. The El Hierro Giant Lizard is a wall lizard found on the Canary Island of El Hierro, but is now confined to a few small cliff areas due to habitat loss. Reintroduction efforts have taken place to help the vulnerable species.

1. Man-made
dissasters
and
endangered
animals

2. The Prestige
The Prestige was a Greek-operated, single-hulled
oil tanker, officially registered in the Bahamas,
but with a Liberian-registered single-purpose
corporation as the owner.
At around 8:00 a.m. on November 19, the ship
split in half. It sank the same afternoon, releasing
over76,000 m3 of oil into the sea. The oil tanker
was reported to be about 250 kilometers from the
Spanish coast at that time. An earlier oil slick
had already reached the coast. The captain of the
Prestige was taken into custody, accused of not
cooperating with salvage crews and of harming
the environment.

3. El Hierro Giant Lizard
Gallotia simonyi is a species of lacertid (wall lizard)
that can be found on the island of El Hierro, one of
the Canary Islands. The species was once present
throughout much of the island and on the small
offshore Roque Chico de Salmor, but is now confined
to a few small areas of cliff with sparse vegetation. It
is currently restricted to the southern end of the
Risco de Tibataje in la Fuga de Gorreta, located
between Guinea and the so-called Paso del Pino (an
area of about four hectares). The species was also
successfully reintroduced to the Roque Chico de
Salmor in 1999, and subsequent reintroductions have
taken place at Julan and at la Dehesa.

4. By Ibai Unamuno