Around 100 sea turtles drag themselves through the sand, anxious to reach the ocean. They have just been released into the wild as part of a rescue plan to prevent their extinction in Venezuela, a country not known for its environmental conscience. "I knew the turtles were eaten, as were the eggs, but not that they were so close to extinction", says activist Pedro Perez. The 101 turtles hatched unexpectedly one night and began to scatter across Perez's sandy porch in the village of La Sabana, where the volunteer protects the eggs he finds on the Virgina beach. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES