Can animals sense natural disasters in advance? I've come across mention of this phenomena many times already - in books, movies and even in documentaries. In movies, it is sometimes very subtly hinted at, or over-dramaticised. This is a very curious occurrence! I've been wondering how can such a thing occur? We humans are supposed to be the most intelligent race that has ever walked the face of the earth, so how is it that animals can sense what we do not? Having gone through extensive research and thinking on the topic of my own volition, having built up an interest in this, I have arrived at the following conclusion: Is it possible that after millenia of "cultured" living in the rapidly modernising world, the senses that all have been born with have been lost to mankind in the tides of time. It may be that as a race, we are no longer born with this ability to sense natural disasters, or perhaps we are no longer being born with this sense. In the midst of pondering this matter, something has occurred to me - Is this the widely talked-about "sixth sense"?
The following is one of the articles I came across in my research on this topic. It is sourced from this government site:
*U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey-Earthquake Hazards Program
URL: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/
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Can Animals Sense Natural Disasters?
Animals have keen senses that help them avoid predators or locate prey. It is thought that these senses might also help them detect pending disasters. Several countries have conducted research on the detection of earthquakes by animals. There are two theories as to how animals may be able to detect earthquakes. One theory is that animals sense the earth's vibrations. Another is that they can detect changes in the air or gases released by the earth. There has been no conclusive evidence as to how animals may be able to sense earthquakes. Some researchers believe the animals at Yala National Park were able to detect the earthquake and move to higher ground before the tsunami hit, causing massive waves and flooding.
Other researchers are skeptical about using animals as earthquake and natural disaster detectors. They site the difficulty of developing a controlled study that can connect a specific animal behavior with an earthquake occurrence. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) officially states: *Changes in animal behavior cannot be used to predict earthquakes. Even though there have been documented cases of unusual animal behavior prior to earthquakes, a reproducible connection between a specific behavior and the occurrence of an earthquake has not been made. Because of their finely tuned senses, animals can often feel the earthquake at its earliest stages before the humans around it can. This feeds the myth that the animal knew the earthquake was coming. But animals also change their behavior for many reasons, and given that an earthquake can shake millions of people, it is likely that a few of their pets will, by chance, be acting strangely before an earthquake.
Although scientists disagree as to whether animal behavior can be used to predict earthquakes and natural disasters, they all agree that it is possible for animals to sense changes in the environment before humans. Researchers around the world are continuing to study animal behavior and earthquakes. It is hoped that these studies will help to aid earthquake predictions.
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If after reading this, you now find yourself interested and curious about this, why don't you go ahead and Google the topic? I'm sure you shall find a lot of interesting information on this, and you can arrive at a conclusion of your own, be it the same or different from mine!
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