The alarming rate at which the leatherback turtle population is declining is a call for concern . The development of turtle sanctuaries to protect this particular species of turtles is still not enough , this is because their natural habitats are being tampered with by tourists or illegal smugglers . Often the leatherback turtle goes onshore Chendor island located in west Malaysia to lay its eggs however inconsiderate tourists tamper with the eggs by digging it up all just for the sake of a picture . Other than disturbing the natural habitat of the turtles , their irresponsible act of littering have caused the deaths of many turtles . The poor turtles mistaken plastic bags thrown for jellyfish , they then consume it and eventually leading to its death . Thirdly , flashes of lights causedby tourists\'cameras or torches disorients the turtles sense of directions because it mistook the flashes of light to be the reflection of the moon on the water which it requires to find its out . Eventually , they wander off in the wrong direction and they die off due to exhaustion and dehydration . Besides having to face the problems of its eggs being tampered with , these poor turtles also get caught in drift nets due to commercial fishing activities . Deaths due to fishing have amounted to 11000 per year . Therefore , we sympathise with the diminshing leatherback turtles and urge the public to curb their irresponsible acts as it could save some turtles .