Millions of Baby Turtles Head to Sea on Empty Beach | 22 Words

Now that millions of us all over the world are quarantined indoors, our sea turtles have finally been given the fighting chance to head to the sea and start their lives. However, even without one obstacle, another remains and it may not be exactly what you think it is...

Keep scrolling for the amazing video footage of the turtles on the beach...

It's no secret that centuries of human activity has been gradually destroying our planet.

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 Overpopulation, pollution, fossil fuels, and deforestation are just a few of the negative impact we humans have had upon our earth.

Vast areas of the Earth, which were once rich with natural life...

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 Are now looming concrete jungles suffocated by smog and various other toxic, man-made emissions.

But, out of all of these devastating effects, it is our animals who have been impacted the most.

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 Over the years, animal populations have been dwindling, and many species have become fully extinct or endangered as a result of hunting, poaching, and the destruction of natural habitats.

Our oceans haven't been faring much better, either.

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 Years of excessive plastic use have come back to haunt us, with a high percentage our oceans simply teeming with discarded plastic.

But, in 2020, there may finally be some hope for our struggling planet.

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 For the last month, a vast majority of the world has been on lockdown as a result of the ongoing medical pandemic.

Humans have been required to stay indoors indefinitely.

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 And staying indoors isn't only saving lives... It is potentially saving our environment and our animals, too.

The empty streets have had a staggering impact on our planet.

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 Now we are confined to our homes, our streets are sparse, resulting in a sudden drop in toxic emissions such as Co2 and carbon monoxide.

Pollution levels are at an all time low.

Since January, many parts of the world have seen a drastic drop in pollution levels since lockdowns were implemented, including New York City, whose pollution levels have been notoriously high for decades.

And, of course, our animals are benefiting massively from this sudden change in human activity.

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 Mother Nature is thriving - plants are flourishing, trees are blossoming, and various animals are making appearances in the most unlikely of places.

It is one of the few benefits of this pandemic...

For example, dolphins have returned to the canals of Venice, which were once swarming and overcrowded with tourists. It just goes to show the devastating impact we have had upon the wildlife we share our planet with, and the extreme lengths it has taken for our earth to finally start healing.

For the first time in decades, nature has been able to take it's course uninterrupted...

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 And this has hugely benefited our turtles, in particular.

Turtles have long suffered at the hands of humans.

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 These beautiful creatures have been impacted massively by plastic and waste pollution in the oceans, with many of them being caught up in large pieces of the debris and, in some devastating cases, being suffocated.

And things have been just as bad on the shore.

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 Overcrowded beaches have meant that the turtles nesting routine has been disrupted massively.

For millions of years, turtles have been laying their eggs on various "nesting beaches"...

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 Where they leave them to hatch alone. And, once hatched, the hatchlings independently make their way back into the ocean.

But, as a result of these nesting beaches becoming overridden with tourists...

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 Turtles have been unable to nest as easily as they were once before, and hatchlings have been struggling to make it safely back into the ocean without being captured or killed by humans first.

But now, these beaches are the quietest they've been in decades.

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 Nesting beaches all over the world remain void of people and pollution, meaning our baby sea turtles are finally able to nest peacefully.

And down on the beaches of India, the most incredible thing happened...

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 Footage that has been described as "magical" has surfaced showing over twenty million baby turtles heading down to the sea.

The district forest officer for Berhampur, Amlan Nayak described it as "special."

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 He told Mongabay-India this: "The last time we saw day time nesting of olive ridleys along this site was in 2013. Usually, they come on to the beach for nesting only during the night. This March was special for us as we saw the species visiting the site at night and even during the day, in equally good numbers."

The president of Orissa Environment Society also told the outlet this:

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 "The turtles want a clean and dry beach. They have to feel safe. Since September 2019 efforts were on to clean the beach. Due to the debris deposited on the beach following cyclone Titli."

But unfortunately, in India, it seems as though there's another obstacle that has hindered baby turtles further.

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 Times of India reported that hundreds of baby turtles in the area actually died due to getting caught up in the plastic finishing nets that were strewn about the beach. The weight was just too much for them to fight out of.

Here's the magical footage of twenty million baby turtles starting their journey in life:

For more cute animals, scroll on...