Excitement filled the air at a private beach in Lagos as conservationists and students watched three rescued sea turtles crawl back into the ocean, marking another victory for wildlife preservation in Nigeria. The turtles, which had been saved from local fishermen weeks earlier, were released last weekend by the Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative — a group that has rescued dozens of endangered turtles in recent years. “For fishermen, they are just food,” said Chinedu Mogbo, founder of Greenfingers. “There is no knowledge out there of wildlife.”

Sea turtles play a vital role in maintaining marine ecosystems, yet their numbers have sharply declined along Lagos’ coastline — a sprawling city of over 20 million people. While there are no official population figures, conservationists warn that fewer turtles are coming ashore to lay eggs each year. Mogbo and his team are among the few working to change that, raising awareness about marine life and the urgent need for stronger protection of Nigeria’s coastal biodiversity.

Nigeria, rich in diverse wildlife, faces a worsening conservation crisis. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists 23 of its native species as critically endangered, while illegal wildlife trafficking continues to thrive across the country. “Nigeria’s endangered wildlife faces an acutely critical and ongoing threat, teetering on the brink of irreversible biodiversity collapse,” warned Mark Ofua, West Africa representative for Wild Africa.