Posted on October 11, 2009 by: WayCoolDogs

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Dogs and cats have always been able to detect earthquakes which reach 6 or higher on the Richter Scale about three hours before the quake occurs. But recently Japan’s seismologists have begun to academically study earthquakes claimed to be predicted by dogs in the growing field of animal psychology.

In China, Premier Zhou Enlai issued an edict for animals to be used to detect earthquakes after the 1960 earthquake in Beijing but Japanese seismologists only recently are using them. One example is the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, predicted by 30% cats and 20% dogs. This was a bad earthquake which killed over 6,000 people and demolished Kobe. He is quoted as saying the dogs behaved so erratically that their owners took them outdoors, preventing their owners from being caught indoors when the earthquake struck and destroyed their homes.

How Do Animals Detect Earthquakes?

Earthquakes emit electromagnetic waves right before the earthquake happens. This was proven during the Indian Ocean tsunami’s earthquake off the coast of Sumatra. No animal was killed by the wave as people were, theorized by the fact animals detected the earthquake and fleeing to safety.

The Japanese study is working on a national network of “dog earthquake detectors”, gathering dogs and cats from all over their country to act as the earthquake monitors. At the present time, there are is no proof as the study is only two years old with no successful prediction of an earthquake.

Head of the research is Mitsuaki Ota, professor of veterinary science at Azabu University, who says that in the past carp were used to calculate earthquakes but they were too sensitive—picking up the smallest tremors up to two weeks before they would happen.

Previous Use of Animals to Detect Earthquakes

Approximately around 373 B.C., there were recorded evidence of animals – rats, snakes and weasels – actually deserting Helice, Greece, just days before the place was destroyed by a huge earthquake. Similar accounts are catfish moving violently, bees swarming in a panic mode when leaving their hives, or chickens quit laying eggs. Dogs and cats will bark or whine for no apparent reason, or even demonstrate a nervious behavior or appear restless.

Some people theorize that wild and domestic animals are able to detect electrical changes in the air or sense gas being released from the planet. Presently an estimated 500,000 earthquakes strong enough to be detected occur annually, with only 100,000 felt by humans. But according to the United States Geological Survey, a reproducible connection has never been made between specific animal behavior and an earthquake occurrence until the Haicheng incident in Japan in 1975.

Haicheng Earthquake Destruction

The city of Haicheng in China was one of the few major cities destroyed by a major earthquake, with a successful evacuation based on the observation of strange animal behavior. With a population of one-million people, the evacuation  occurred days before the 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the city with very few people hurt. If the city has not been rescued, over 150,000 people were estimated to be hurt or killed.

This was the first earthquake incident that gave people hope that these major earth events could be predicted by observing animal behavior. This was thought to set the scene for future studies by the USGS, until they discovered the city had been forewarned by smaller tremors. But the Chinese still observe animal behavior as earthquake predictors, with a few false alarms but several notable successes.

The Japanese studies are hoping to find a reproducible connection between animal behavior and earthquakes, observing why some earthquakes cause unusual animal behavior and some do not. A feeling that more scientific research is needed and long overdue, says biologist and book author Rupert Sheldrake.

Sources:

Can Animals Sense Earthquakes?
Maryann Mott
National Geographic News

Experts Claim Dogs and Cats Can Predict Earthquakes
by Ryann Connell
Source: Mainichi Daily News

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