Question

Did you know that animals can save humans from natural calamities? Animals can sense natural calamities. Read the following examples and decide if this is true.

• In 2004, before a tsunami could hit the coastline of Indonesia, some animals made efforts to flee—elephants ran for higher ground, flamingos abandoned low-lying nesting areas, and dogs refused to go outdoors.
• Minutes before the Naples quake of 1805, oxen, sheep, dogs, and geese started making alarm calls in unison.
• Migratory birds crossing the Pacific are able to dodge storms and other hazards.
• In the Gulf of Mexico, sharks sense the drop in barometric pressure that precedes hurricanes and tend to swim to deeper waters as a result. Dolphins have also been observed swimming away from storm-prone areas.

Scientists have studied this behaviour and found that when severe stresses arise in deep rock before the earthquake, ultra-low frequency electromagnetic waves are generated that animals can sense.

Answer 1

Yes, the examples suggest that some animals can sense changes in their surroundings before certain natural calamities occur.

Animals may react to changes in pressure, vibrations, sounds, or electromagnetic signals that humans do not easily notice. For example, elephants may move to higher ground before a tsunami, sharks may swim deeper before hurricanes, and birds may avoid approaching storms. This shows that animal behaviour can sometimes act as an early warning of danger.