Animals often seem to know things that people don't. So far there have been few reports
of animals sensing the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck
Japan this week, but with the thousands of missing people and looming
threat of nuclear disaster, the focus has understandably not been on
animals. In time, we might learn more about how the animals of Japan
reacted to this recent geological nightmare.We do know that animals in areas affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami most certainly did seem to sense that something disastrous and dangerous had happened.
Witnesses report wild animals such as elephants and monkeys moving
towards higher ground as well as anxiety and distress in cattle, dogs
and other domestic animals. Given the destructiveness of that disaster,
surprisingly few dead animals were recovered.
While this might seem odd, if you think about the fact that many species
naturally have senses that far more acute than those possessed by
humans, it seems less strange.