Nature’s signals

Pre-reading discussion

. Do you like to watch television programmes about animals? 

. Have you heard stories about dogs saving their masters? Can you share them with us?

. Why do you think animals, large and small, run out of jungles or forests before a catastrophe?

Animal sense

It is said that dogs have the ability to sense disaster as well as spirits. A woman, once, had a dog that would tremble violently and did not go out for its morning walk on a particular day. Instead it would stare at the wall as if it had seen a ghost. It was afraid to be left alone and kept on following its owner. Eventually tremors shook the city and an earthquake of mild intensity was recorded. Without a doubt, the dog was a sensitive creature and showed signs of nervousness at the sound or sight of strange noises or objects, but could the dog actually forecast an earthquake before a human being could? Perhaps, yes!

According to Nature magazine, ants and bees become restless at the slightest change in the weather. Therefore, they might be able to pick out unusual movements leading to natural disasters. Some creatures are gifted with the ability to pick up sounds or vibrations, also known as infrasound – sounds that cannot be heard by humans. This is why we see birds or animals making unexplained noises or showing

Catfish

White-fronted bee-eater

Hummingbird

restless behaviour. This instinct often gives them enough time to escape approaching rain, impending earthquakes, rumbling volcanoes, and vicious storms.

According to the Japanese scientist, Motoji Ikeya, certain animals respond to changes in electrical currents. After testing several creatures, he has come to the conclusion that the most sensitive of them all is the catfish. He now carefully watches a catfish to stay informed about imminent disasters.

 The fact remains that psychic or not, animals and birds have well-developed instincts that they tend to follow whether receiving signals from the earth's magnetic field, as in the case of migratory birds and animals or the case of the Tsunami (say: su na mi) in Thailand which our feathered and furry friends escaped before it even hit the beaches. However, humans suffered great losses because they chose to ignore their intuition, and only believed in what the eye saw. Maybe we should learn from the animals.