Baby turtles facing certain death saved by 'Planet Earth II' crew

Pass the tissues!

On Sunday night’s episode of Planet Earth II, viewers were left emotionally wrought by the dire circumstances hawksbill turtles face from the moment they hatch.

In the series finale, the tiny turtles hatch from their eggs and are drawn not to the ocean, but to the bright lights of the city.

Manmade lights are much brighter than the moon, so the hatchlings follow the lights away from the ocean and into the city, where many times they meet their demise. In heartbreaking shots, hatchlings are shown run over by cars and trapped in city drains.

On Twitter, the plight of the turtles was almost too much to bear.

And as if things could get any worse, it’s humankind's fault the turtles are struggling.

Heartbroken viewers all asked themselves the same question: How could the producers of the show refrain from helping the turtles?

According to BBC Earth, the producers didn't restrain themselves. The film crew picked up "every turtle that was seen or filmed" by the crew, BBC Earth said in a tweet.

“Every turtle that was seen or filmed by the #PlanetEarth2 crew was collected and put back into the sea,” BBC Earth said on Twitter.

BBC Earth tweeted that the crew worked with the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, which saves the lives of thousands of turtles each year. The turtles are up against a lot and getting into the ocean doesn't mean they will survive. Many are eaten by crabs or birds, according to the show.

And let's not forget that this story is far from over.

Follow Mary Bowerman on Twitter: @MaryBowerman