Environmentalists on Sunday (April 25) released hundreds of turtle hatchlings on a beach in eastern India.

Footage showed the tiny olive ridley turtles scurrying down to the water in the Visakhapatnam district of Odisha state.

Female turtles arrive on these beaches from Mexico and then dig holes in the sand to lay their eggs which usually hatch between 45 and 60 days later.

To boost numbers, environmentalists and local authorities collect the eggs and incubate them artificially before releasing them.

Olive ridley turtles are the second smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world.

Nesting zones for the Olive Ridley Sea Turtles on the East Coast in Visakhapatnam District Every winter, thousands of them come ashore to lay t heir eggs.

The turtles that predominately come to Visakhapatnam from the Mexican coast, mate at sea and then come ashore to lay clusters of eggs on the beaches. Females dig holes in the sand to lay the eggs, cover them and return to the sea. The eggs hatch in a span of 45 to 60 days depending upon the temperature.

Forest Department & Volunteers from organisations like VSPCA are helping in the conservation activities by collecting the eggs and releasing the hatclings.