It is true that although many people view turtles as being iconic or “good luck charms” that many species are still becoming extinct. There are many reasons for this extinction.
Sea turtles are becoming extinct at higher rates because seagulls often make them a meal when they are born. These turtles have also been known to try eating plastic that they find and sometimes this results in them choking to death. Some get stuck in nets and drown.
Many other species are becoming extinct as a result from us humans. Turtles are killed all the time and their skin is found being used to make leather for handbags and shoes. Their meat is used to make food and put into soups. Their shells are often used to pattern plastic.
Our building habits have become quite a problem for turtles as well as we are using too many lights now near the sea. For instance, if there is a hotel nearby, the lights will confuse turtles when they hatch. This is because when turtles hatch they have an instinct that tells them to follow the moon’s light, however if the artificial light from the hotel confuses the turtle into thinking that it is the moon, the turtle will follow the wrong light and could possibly run into a predator, get hurt, or get ran over if there is a road nearby.
Many turtles are caught by fishermen as bycatch on accident. Often when this happens the fishermen will kill the turtle for no good reason and then throw it back out to sea, along with other innocent creatures that they have accidentally fished up or caught in a net.
Famous rituals in Brazil say that if you eat the meat of a turtle that you will become immortal. This is causing the extinction of many turtles here.