The oil spill happened when the MS Oliva ship ran aground in March last year and spilled 1,500 tonnes of oil into the ocean.

The oil reached a group of islands called Tristan da Cunha, which are part of the UK (known as a UK overseas territory). The islands are home to 65% of the world’s northern rockhopper penguins, which are an endangered species.

The public and staff from the RSPB reacted quickly to the oil spill, but until now it was not known how badly the penguin population was affected.

The good news is, research has now shown that the penguins weren’t affected as much as was first thought.

Dr Juliet Vickery from the RSPB said: “It’s a big relief that the initial results are better than we had anticipated.” However, she added: “It is vital that we continue to monitor the birds closely for several more years to establish the true impact of the oil spill.”