Where are the Animals?

January 3, 2005

Sorry slight diversion. While looking at the pictures, reading the

many stories in the Papers and TVs, something just strike me : Where

are the animals? I do no see any dead animals? Where did they go to?

Do they know what is going to happen?

January 3, 2005

Re: the tsunami, Nora notes: "Something just struck me: Where are the

animals? I do not see any dead animals. Where did they go to? Did

they know what was going to happen?"

Wow. Great question. And the answer seems to be, "Yeah, they knew,"

as the first story below explains. But a second story (keep scrolling

down) adds that they are still very much victims of the disaster.

Sorry for a longish post, but I think it's worth reading:

1. ANIMALS' 'SIXTH SENSE' SAVED THEM FROM TSUNAMI

Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, adding

weight to notions they possess a "sixth sense" for disasters, experts

said on Thursday.

Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed

over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast seemingly

missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.

"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think

animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when

things are happening," H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka's

Wildlife Department, said on Wednesday.

The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km (2 miles) inland at Yala

National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife

reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several

leopards. "There has been a lot of anecdotal evidence about dogs

barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes.

But it has not been proven," said Matthew van Lierop, an animal

behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo.

"There have been no specific studies because you can't really test it

in a lab or field setting," he said.

Other authorities concurred with this assessment.

"Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon, especially

birds. There are many reports of birds detecting impending

disasters," said Clive Walker, who has written several books on

African wildlife.

Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing

to avoid danger such as predators.

The notion of an animal "sixth sense" -- or some other mythical

power -- is an enduring one which the evidence on Sri Lanka's

battered coast is likely to add to.

The Romans saw owls as omens of impending disaster and many ancient

cultures viewed elephants as sacred animals endowed with special

powers or attributes.

The tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean on

Sunday. It killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and East Africa.

SOURCE: China Daily

URL: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-

01/04/content_405809.htm

2. ANIMALS ARE ALSO VICTIMS OF TSUNAMI

The tsunami that pounded South Asia last week has created a second

tier of victims: animals.

Dogs are homeless in Thailand. Cows, water buffalo and goats have

died in Sri Lanka. And farm animals are roaming destroyed grazing

land and drinking polluted water since their owners have died, said

Sherry Grant, Asia director for Humane Society International.

Humans and animals have a "dynamic connection," Grant said during a

three-country tour of Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

"The animals and their well-being connect to the humans because they

are the providers" and can generate economic recovery, she said.

Subsistence farmers "need those cattle, they need those oxen to pull

their ploughs, to work those fields."

In India, the Blue Cross told the Humane Society that thousands of

dead animals lined beaches after the tsunami struck. It also said

that all the animals at the Point Calimere wildlife sanctuary,

including 1,800 black buck, were probably dead.

Dogs are roaming what appear to be their hometowns in Thailand, some

of which are devastated and lifeless after the tsunami killed

thousands of people in the area. Wiek said volunteers have supplied

800 kilograms of dog food in the last few days.

"I think they all knew something was coming and they fled to higher

ground," said Wiek, director of the Wildlife Friends of Thailand

Rescue Centre.

Grant said she will also travel to Aceh, Indonesia, where it is not

clear what happened to that animals since authorities closed off the

area to foreign journalists and international aid workers more than a

year ago due to separatist violence. Jakarta has eased the ban

following the tsunami.

"One of the concerns we have for the people and the animals is (that)

while a farmer is trying to get himself back on his feet

economically, he may not be able to feed those cows," Grant

said. "And those cows are his livelihood."

To relieve the pressures, the Humane Society will likely provide

financial aid, equipment, create dog feeding programs and clean

watering holes.

Grant also noted that dogs were important companions for humans, but

devastated families were now having to decide if they can feed one

more mouth.

Dog owners in Phuket began dropping their pets off at a new shelter,

which Grant said the government now can no longer afford to operate.

Dogs "fill the void of loneliness, and, my God, is there going to be

some big voids in these families," she said.

SOURCE: Scotsman.com

URL: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3956958

January 6, 2005

your thought is well justified. I just happened to watch news, where they

addresed what you have asked. One whale was rescued and taken for

rehabilitaion. raji.

>

>Sorry slight diversion. While looking at the pictures, reading the

>many stories in the Papers and TVs, something just strike me : Where

>are the animals? I do no see any dead animals? Where did they go to?

>Do they know what is going to happen?

>

_______________

MSN Search, for accurate results! http://search.msn.nl

January 7, 2005

Greetings All,

I haven't introduced myself (I'm some what of a lurker) yet, but I thought

I would begin my posting this article. My name is Caitlin, I'm a Devotee of

Maa Kali living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've very much enjoyed

reading all of your insightful postings and look forward to conversing more!

Sha'ham,

Caitlin

(Sorry about the bold font, my computer has a mind of it's own:)

How Did Animals Escape Tsunami?

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from Wired.com

Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, adding weight to

notions they possess a sixth sense for disasters, experts said Thursday.

Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over

24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast seemingly missed wild

beasts, with no dead animals found.

"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit," said H.D.

Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department. "I think

animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things

are happening."

The waves washed floodwaters up to two miles inland at Yala National Park in

the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve and home to