Recently, there was another threat when the tanker Jessica ran aground near the islands. It is believed to have leaked almost a million litres of oil into the sea. At first, it was feared that the islands' many unique species would be damaged, but the archipelago is expected to make a full recovery. By the time George was discovered, breeding programmes were known to was different.Unless a mate could be found, his group faced extinction. George was taken to the Charles Darwin Research Certre on Santa Cruz islandand and provided with a harem from related sub-species,but was said to have been uninterested. Thirty years later the last Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni is as lonesome as ever.