Rantau Abang ( Jawi: رنتاو ابڠ) is a small village in Dungun District,

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, which used to be known for its leatherback sea turtle nesting. It is located 22 km north of Kuala Dungun and 80 km south of

Kuala Terengganu Kuala Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay language, Terengganu Malay: ''Kole Tranung''), colloquially referred to as KT, is the administrative, economic and royal List of capitals in Malaysia, city of the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. Kuala Tereng ...

. At one time, every year during the months of May to August, the turtles would come ashore and lay their eggs. However, the number of sea turtles that lay their eggs has severely decreased in recent years. It has been estimated that during the 1950s over 10,000 of these turtles called the beaches on Rantau Abang their sanctuary. Recently the local government declared these turtles

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

as no turtle landings have been sighted for quite some time. The biggest reasons for the decline have been

poachers Poaching is the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set against the hunti ...

who take the turtle eggs and sell them in local villages, as turtle eggs are a local delicacy, and disturbance from tourists. The Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre has been set up in Rantau Abang to spearhead conservation efforts. The beach is safe for swimming, and is still used for other tourist activities.

References

Beaches of Malaysia Dungun District Tourist attractions in Terengganu Villages in Terengganu {{Terengganu-geo-stub