Sea turtles, a currently endangered species is now nearly extinct, and several wildlife departments are struggling to save the endangered species, as they are considered few of the living representatives of a group of reptiles that have existed on Earth for the last 100 million years.

A viral picture came into existence, a few days back where a child was seen riding on a critically endangered sea turtle while many tourists watch the thing happen without hesitation. The video has sparked outrage online and prompted an investigation by the Malaysian government.

An adult is also seen in the picture pinning the turtle in place with afoot. It’s believed that the photo was taken in Tun Sakaran Marine Park in the Malaysian state of Sabah. The image was posted in social media platform with the caption: “to appeal to tourists, the tour and boat operator caught the turtle and put it on the boat for tourists to take pictures with”.

In fact, the Sabah Wildlife Department has already seen the picture and investigations are being made in order to identify the offenders. A team from Semporna, a town which is close to Tun Sakaran Marine Park, has been instructed to investigate the incident.

Christina Liew, environment minister for Sabah said, “To catch a turtle, put it on a boat and ride it is unacceptable,”. “I cannot comment further until the investigation is complete. What can I say – this is an offence”.

“We welcome tourists to Sabah who visits because there are many beautiful places, but at the same time, we expect tourists to respect our laws.”

The people online are outraged with such insensitive act and have commented on their feeling respectively. Anne Wilkens Blauert wrote “Shame on you guys! You don’t treat animals that way!”, while Guan Teng Tommy Cheo commented: “Oh my goodness should report to Sabah Wildlife Department.”

Justin Francis, CEO of ethical holiday company Responsible Travel, told The Independent: “If this is a photo of a genuine incident then this is a case of real irresponsible tourism.

“Photos like this encourage the abuse of wildlife. Plucking a wild creature out of its natural environment for entertainment or a wildlife ‘selfie’ is wrong and such practices should always be avoided.

“As a tourist, you should never interfere with wildlife, either by touching it, picking it up, feeding it or coming too close. We advise reporting tour operators who encourage this kind of behaviour and holding them to account on social media or review sites if needs be.”

Hawksbills are found mainly throughout the world’s tropical oceans, mainly found in coral reefs. Due to loss of habitat, excessive pollution and coastal development the risk of extinction of this creature is even more.