video transcript

Four thousand baby turtles and 600 young school children came together at a beach in Oaxaca, Mexico. The mission of the day is to release these turtles into the ocean - after they hatched in incubators at a nearby science facility of the Mexican Navy. The sea turtle hatchlings are of the endangered Olive Ridley species. Its eggs are prized as a delicacy here and are openly sold at markets despite prohibiting laws. And that should change says a student from a local primary school. SOUNDBITE: Alexis Gijon, Primary School Student, saying (Spanish) "They are in danger of extinction, so people shouldn't eat too many eggs, because more will die and there will be fewer." The navy says it has released around 28,000 turtles since taking control of this beach. Of the 4,000 turtles released today, only 400 are expected to swim into adulthood.