Green sea turtles remain a rare sight in many parts of the world, but one Indonesian island tasked with protecting them is being overrun by far too many. New research suggests that the gentle endangered creatures are crowding into a marine reserve in numbers never recorded anywhere, gobbling sea grass to the point that they risk destroying the food source that's vital to their survival. Using modeling, the research team, led from 2008 to 2011 by Marjolijn Christianen of Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands, found that nearly all turtles would need to be removed from the area in order for the sea grass to recover. If they are not stopped, the beds could be destroyed within the next five to 10 years, the study suggests. Mumby said a short-term solution may be to try to relocate the turtles to less populated reserves.

India struggles to save its tigers

India is scrambling to protect its beleaguered tiger population after several big cats tested positive for a virus common among dogs but deadly to other carnivores, experts said. In the past year, canine distemper virus has killed at least four tigers and several other animals, said Rajesh Gopal of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The revelation is bad news for wild tigers — endangered by poaching and shrinking habitat as India undergoes breakneck development to accommodate the growth of its 1.2 billion people. That same development and growth means more people — and more dogs — are coming even closer to wildlife. India will now test every tiger carcass it finds for the virus, while authorities also consider a campaign to vaccinate dogs against canine distemper.

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