Saturday’s release of 28 five-month-old baby turtles is part of marine conservation program with Lenuk Tasi , which has according to its website,  released many sea turtles this year into the Timorese ocean .

Marine science students working and volunteering with Lenuk Tasi cradled the tiny turtles in their hands and gently lowered them into the sandy shallows, according to a video on the organisation’s Instagram account.

Since 2009, a growing number of Timorese conservations have been dedicating their time and energy to protecting sea turtles (referred to as ‘lenuk’ in Tetun), according to Grup Konservativu, seeking to protect the country’s green sea turtles from illegal trade and natural predators.

Marine conservationists, working across Timor-Leste, say the sea turtle population has been in decline, largely as a result of human activities – turtles are often killed for their meat, or their eggs are stolen from nesting sites.