Premonition of animals

Hours before the earthquake, animals behave strangely. Dog bark and bark. The horse kicks the barn wall. Cats stare at things that no one sees, or run around while being chased. People would have seen animals do such things. The animals seem to know that something is about to happen. A female pet turtle suddenly laid an egg. It had never done it before. The next day, there was an earthquake. After the earthquake, the turtle ate an egg! One night, a man woke up hungry. He got up to get something to eat. And he says his pet fish was jumping. Two fish jumped straight out of the bowl. A few hours later, an earthquake struck the town.

In Alaska, some brown bears woke up early from sleep. They ran out of the hole. No one saw them do so. The next day, there was an earthquake.

Sometimes there are earthquakes under the sea. Then a large wall of water may wash the land. Animals seem to be in danger. In one place, the bird flew away from the water. The cow left the field near the sea. They moved to the hill. Immediately the fields were flooded.

In some places there are more earthquakes than in others. People living in those places have learned to see their pets. In a Chinese town a few years ago, animals seemed to be wild. The chicken ran up and down. The dog didn’t stop barking. The mouse and mouse ran out of house. Two days later, a big earthquake struck. Most homes are depressed. But no one was among them. No one was injured. The animal wilderness has saved many lives.

People studying earthquakes want to know what animals know. It’s not magic. Cats and dogs may feel the ground move in ways that humans cannot. Animals may hear a sound telling them that something is wrong. And when they are scared, animals behave strangely.

Animals may help people learn about earthquakes. One day, you may be able to know when an earthquake will occur. And it could save lives, as it once did in China.