The sixth sense?
The recent and unfortunate natural disaster in the Indian Ocean on 26.th of December 2004 - the 9.0 earthquake which caused the tsunami - has strengthened the belief that animals must possess something of a "sixth sense". The fact that over 140,000 people - with thusands still missing - lost their lives and countless others remain injured while no signs of any significant loss to the lives of animals cannot be easily explained.
"Wild animals in particular are extremely sensitive," said Debbie Martyr, who works on a wild tiger conservation programme on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, one of the worst-hit areas in Sunday's disaster.
"They've got extremely good hearing and they will probably have heard this flood coming in the distance.
"There would have been vibration and there may also have been changes in the air pressure which will have alerted animals and made them move to wherever they felt safer."
There are many eyewitness accounts of birds and animals migrating before earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The scientific evidence for a sixth sense is lacking, but if the reports are confirmed, they could add to the understanding of animal behaviour and possibly even be used in the future as an early warning system for humans.
Giant waves washed floodwaters up to 2 miles inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards.
"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit," said H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of the national Wildlife Department. "I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening".
The elephants have something what is called an elephants infrasound
and maybe this is what helped them somehow to anticipate tsunami and escape in time.
At any rate, i've seen a lot of videos where people were standing and watching the coming tide, and only when the waves were within 50 feet they started running. If they only used their eyes or someone ordered them to run, more would have survived!
A more simple answer - animals are skittish and easily frightened. Meaning, they had the good sense to run like Hell the minute something seemed out of the ordinary.
Unlike humans, who, as some of the video footage has shown, at first simply stood and watched what at first was one cooooooool wave - it was only until it was too late that many people apparently realized how much danger they were in. Onlookers just didn't use their eyes in a proper way, however there are also others - truth to be said - who did it right and start to run emediately, but had no chance for a safe escape.
Update:
Meanwhile, we've received lots of interesting reports regarding unusual animal behaviors during this cataclysmic event, indications that animals may have sensed the tsunami. For example, in Khao Lak, on the western coast of Thailand, about the time the earthquake erupted, elephants that were used to give tourists rides began to trumpet loudly, in a manner described as like crying. “I was surprised because the elephants had never cried before,” declared Dang Salangam, 36. The elephants were soon calmed down, but then an hour later they began to wail again, and this time they could not be comforted. “They just kept running for the hill,” stated Wit Aniwat, 24, who assists tourists in mounting the elephants. “Then we saw the big wave coming and we started running.” A number of tourists were lifted onto the elephants backs and taken to safety. Some of the elephants reportedly broke free of chains to flee to higher ground. Meanwhile, near the beach at Bang Koey village a herd of about 100 buffalo were grazing when suddenly they lifted their heads and looked out toward the ocean, their ears standing upright. Then they began to stampede up a hill. The villagers were bewildered and began to run after the buffaloes fearing that they might become lost. Within minutes of the villagers heading toward the hilltop, the tidal wave crashed into their fishing village. “Not a single one of us sustained a scratch,” villager Kornee Art-ham, 42, was quoted as saying.
"Wild animals in particular are extremely sensitive," said Debbie Martyr, who works on a wild tiger conservation programme on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, one of the worst-hit areas in Sunday's disaster.
"They've got extremely good hearing and they will probably have heard this flood coming in the distance.
"There would have been vibration and there may also have been changes in the air pressure which will have alerted animals and made them move to wherever they felt safer."
There are many eyewitness accounts of birds and animals migrating before earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The scientific evidence for a sixth sense is lacking, but if the reports are confirmed, they could add to the understanding of animal behaviour and possibly even be used in the future as an early warning system for humans.
Giant waves washed floodwaters up to 2 miles inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards.
"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit," said H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of the national Wildlife Department. "I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening".
The elephants have something what is called an elephants infrasound
and maybe this is what helped them somehow to anticipate tsunami and escape in time.
At any rate, i've seen a lot of videos where people were standing and watching the coming tide, and only when the waves were within 50 feet they started running. If they only used their eyes or someone ordered them to run, more would have survived!
A more simple answer - animals are skittish and easily frightened. Meaning, they had the good sense to run like Hell the minute something seemed out of the ordinary.
Unlike humans, who, as some of the video footage has shown, at first simply stood and watched what at first was one cooooooool wave - it was only until it was too late that many people apparently realized how much danger they were in. Onlookers just didn't use their eyes in a proper way, however there are also others - truth to be said - who did it right and start to run emediately, but had no chance for a safe escape.
Update:
Meanwhile, we've received lots of interesting reports regarding unusual animal behaviors during this cataclysmic event, indications that animals may have sensed the tsunami. For example, in Khao Lak, on the western coast of Thailand, about the time the earthquake erupted, elephants that were used to give tourists rides began to trumpet loudly, in a manner described as like crying. “I was surprised because the elephants had never cried before,” declared Dang Salangam, 36. The elephants were soon calmed down, but then an hour later they began to wail again, and this time they could not be comforted. “They just kept running for the hill,” stated Wit Aniwat, 24, who assists tourists in mounting the elephants. “Then we saw the big wave coming and we started running.” A number of tourists were lifted onto the elephants backs and taken to safety. Some of the elephants reportedly broke free of chains to flee to higher ground. Meanwhile, near the beach at Bang Koey village a herd of about 100 buffalo were grazing when suddenly they lifted their heads and looked out toward the ocean, their ears standing upright. Then they began to stampede up a hill. The villagers were bewildered and began to run after the buffaloes fearing that they might become lost. Within minutes of the villagers heading toward the hilltop, the tidal wave crashed into their fishing village. “Not a single one of us sustained a scratch,” villager Kornee Art-ham, 42, was quoted as saying.
posted by O.marian at 15:33
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