Source/Letters: TheDenverChannel.com Newsroom <densupport @ ibsys.com>
Link: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/family/4247535/detail.html
Can Animals Predict Natural Disasters?
Scientists Say Much More Study Is Needed On Animal Behavior
POSTED: 2:03 pm MST March 2, 2005UPDATED: 8:41 am MST March 3, 2005
Our 24/7 meteorologists and others around the country use some of the most technical, advanced equipment to bring you the forecast every day. But some people believe that predicting Mother Nature is as easy as tuning in to the behavior of animals.
Two-year-old Brooks, a Collie mix, has a thing about the weather. He hates storms and his owners say he seems to know when they're coming.
"Some days he'll become anxious on a perfectly clear day. The sun is out, just as nice as it can be," said dog owner Neil Crowley. "Sure enough, a couple hours later the sky starts to get dark and a storm comes in."
Unusual? Maybe not. Stories have surfaced out of south Asia recently of elephants and other animals running for the hills before the devastating tsunamis that killed thousands of people.
So is it possible that some animals can sense thing, that humans can't? It's a question we took to experts at the Denver Zoo.
"Do I think the elephants knew that something was coming? Absolutely, yes. But exactly how, is something I can't answer," said Denver zoo curator Dale Leeds.
Leeds said elephants are known to have sensitive feet and may feel vibrations in the earth. And they can communicate over great distances, hearing tones too low for humans.
"In fact, the elephants that are behind us may be talking to us right now and we're just not hearing it because it's below our ability to hear," said Leeds.
At the University of Colorado in Denver a professor of oceanography has his own theories after seeing animal behaviors change before earthquakes.
"There are things like changes in electrical field that we think precede earthquakes," said professor Dr. John Weihaput.
So the next time your pet pipes up, it just might be a heads up from Mother Nature.
But for now, there isn't hard scientific evidence that animals can detect those currents, or changes in the atmosphere.
Weihaput said animals will continue to be studied and could help humans better predict disturbances like earthquakes and old fashioned thunderstorms.
Copyright 2005 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
AnimalVoices is sending this to you for nonprofit research and
educational purposes only. [Ref.http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html]
Subscribe, unsubscribe, or read articles:
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/AnimalVoicesNews
"A single voice may not be heard, but the voices of many
cannot be ignored. " ~ Author Unknown
| Yahoo! Groups Sponsor | |
|
|
Yahoo! Groups Links
- To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/helptheanimals/
- To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
- Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.
