Apparently before the terrible earthquake in China’s Sichuan province, residents near the epicenter of the quake observed erratic, foreboding signs from local wildlife and zoo animals. According to reports, the first indication of natural disturbance was when groundwater levels fell dramatically three weeks ago in the area of the quake. In the town of Mianzhu, residents began to worry about an impending natural disaster three days before the earthquake when thousands of frogs alighted on their town. On the morning of the quake, animals in the Wuhan zoo within the vicinity of the quake were expressing various forms of distress — zebras banging at the door to get out, elephants swinging their trunks, and normally languid big cats pacing about.
The National Geographic Web site reports that there are several different theories about why animals might be able to sense earthquakes and other natural disasters ahead of time. One is that they notice trembling in the earth far before humans become aware of it. Another is that they are perceptive to electrical changes or sense a particular gas being emitted before the earthquake hits. Although American seismologists have been skeptical about studying animal warning signs, some scientists in China and Japan have embraced the project as worthy of further scientific study. Apparently Chinese officials are serious enough about animal-based signs that they evacuated the city of Haicheng in 1975 before a 7.3-magnitude quake hit after observing animal warnings, arguably saving 150,000 casualties. I find this all fascinating — why don’t we investigate this more?
