Kind villagers released an endangered green sea turtle that was caught on a fisherman's net in the Philippines.

The creature was taken to the local wildlife facility when it was tangled on a trawler's tool in Sorsogon City on January 6.

Officers returned the creature to the beach about an hour later after ensuring it was unhurt and freed.

Footage shows the marine animal guided by officers and concerned villagers as it waded across the sand to reach the water.

Local Angelo Villanueva said: ‘The turtle was caught inside the net with the fish. They feared it could be hurt, so they let some officials check on the animal first.'

Green sea turtles are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered. The nongovernment organisation said its population declined by 50 per cent over the last 10 years due to overharvesting of eggs, hunting, and being caught in fishing gears and loss of nesting sites.