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Thousands of people have marched through the Mauritian capital, Port Louis, protesting against the government's response to a massive oil spill off the island's coast.

In the biggest demonstration that the country has seen for several years, 150,000 people - about 12% of the island's entire population - gathered to chant and sing in protest.

Many of the demonstrators wore T-shirts that said: "I love my country. I'm ashamed of my government."

Further protests have taken place in other countries around the world. In London, protestors gathered outside the Mauritian embassy - a building that represents the island nation in the UK.

Following the crisis the Mauritian government appealed to the United Nations for urgent aid, including help from experts in oil spills and environmental protection.

"Even in my worst of nightmares, I would never have thought something like that could happen to us," says Dr Vikash Tatayah, conservation director of the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation (MWF).

"We are used to cyclones, droughts or an invasive species, it's part of nature and we know how to cope with that. But we never thought we would have to face an oil spill."

What caused this?

In July, a Japanese-owned ship ran aground on a reef near to the island and started to leak oil.

The vessel split in two, causing more damage in early August, spilling 1,000 tons of its 4,000-ton cargo of fuel into the sea along the 15-kilometre stretch of the Mauritian coastline, which has now become smeared with oil.

The captain and the first officer of the ship have been arrested after it was discovered the ship changed course from its intended route and got stuck in shallow Mauritian waters.

The back of the ship is still sitting on the same reef, while the front part of the boat was towed away to deliberately sink in deeper waters.

The decision to sink part of the boat has caused a lot of controversy because of the negative impact it could have on wildlife.

Environmental activists say the spill is destroying 35 years of work to reintroduce many endangered species to the area.

A total of 39 dead dolphins have washed up along the Mauritius shoreline, with animal experts still working out if the oil spill was to blame.

Environmental organisation Greenpeace Africa said: "Regardless of whether the oil spill caused this, such a disaster must not happen again."

Scientists say the impact of the spill could affect the island for many decades.