Rantau Abang Explained

Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Dungun
Established Title:Established
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:23050
Settlement Type: Town in Malaysia
Translit Lang1 Type1:Jawi
Translit Lang1 Info2:Chinese:
Translit Lang1 Type2:Chinese
Translit Lang1 Info3:Tamil:
Translit Lang1 Type3:Tamil
Pushpin Map:Malaysia Terengganu#Malaysia West#Malaysia
Pushpin Map Caption:Rantau Abang in Terengganu, Malay Peninsular and Malaysia
Timezone1:MYT
Utc Offset:+8
Official Name:Rantau Abang

Rantau Abang (Jawi: رنتاو ابڠ) is a small village in Dungun District, Terengganu, Malaysia, which used to be known for its leatherback sea turtle nesting.[1]

It is located 22 km north of Kuala Dungun and 80 km south of Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.

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 as no turtle landings have been sighted for quite some time.[2] The biggest reasons for the decline have been poachers who take the turtle eggs and sell them in local villages, as turtle eggs are a local delicacy, and disturbance from tourists.[3] 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.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Sea Turtle Conservation in Malaysia. Wild Asia . https://web.archive.org/web/20051201005131/http://wildasia.net/main/article.cfm?articleID=149. 1 December 2005. dead.
  2. News: FMT . news . Gone are the turtles that once made Rantau Abang famous . 5 June 2019 . Free Malaysia Today . FMT News . FMT Media Sdn Bhd . 28 April 2019.
  3. Web site: Rantau Abang . malaysia.com . 2 February 2017.
  4. Web site: Rantau Abang Beach . Terengganu Tourism . 2 February 2017.