The leatherback sea turtle, once a tourist attraction drawing visitors to Terengganu’s east coast beaches, have not been seen in the state since 2010, according to state government records.
Terengganu’s deputy director of fisheries (development) Zulkafli Abd Rashida said even in 2010, there were only eight leatherback nests recorded on the state’s beaches, and compounding the issue is the fact that none of the eggs laid that year ever hatched.
“The leatherback sea turtle only comes ashore and lays its eggs on the beaches of Terengganu, and increasingly disruptive human activity, including light pollution along the coastline, has resulted in the species no longer coming here to nest,” he said, as quoted by Bernama.
“If the situation continues, the species will become extinct.”
The leatherback, also known as Dermochelys coriacea, is the largest known species of seafaring turtles in the world, and is listed under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Globally, it is estimated that 26,000 to 43,000 females nest annually – dramatically lower from 115,000 in 1980.
Terengganu’s beaches are the only known major nesting site of the east Pacific variant of the species.
