On a moonlit shore in Senegal, Djibril Diakhate's evening walk came to an unexpected halt when his torch revealed more than 140 baby turtles clambering from their nest and sprinting towards the glimmering ocean.

“I have always been affected by the birth of these turtles,” he said. “The first time I witnessed a hatching, I cried at these creatures of God.”

Thousands of turtles lay eggs along West Africa's shores each year, but nights like these have become rare in Guereo, the beachside village where Diakhate lives.

Increased fishing, tourism and construction have left fewer safe nesting grounds for Senegal's turtles, which are listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. But beaches have become quieter during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read more from Reuters here.