Animals as Quake Detectors

[ThreadKiller]

I enjoyed this article from the Taipei Times today: Warning call of the wild: US zoo animals sensed quake
美東地震　當地動物有預感

As all of you with furry friends know, they're sensitive to this kind of shit.

Many animals at the National Zoo in Washington sensed the rare 5.8 magnitude earthquake on Aug. 23 that shook the US east coast before it struck, and began to behave strangely, zoo officials said.

I liked the ending of the article:

Of all the zoo animals, the giant pandas remained apparently oblivious.

“According to keepers, the giant pandas did not appear to respond to the earthquake,” the zoo said. (AFP)

Not the brightest in the zoo, I suppose.

[link]

I remember seeing a National Geographic show mentioning that ads for Lost Pets spiked before the San Francisco Loma Prieta quake in 1989, and follows Berkland's prediction method. Still, I think it's mostly a case of hindsight bias.

[KeLun]

　
Our cat wouldn't, er... didn't feel a 9.0 coming, don't even mention anything weaker. Little thing sleeps through 6s and 7s. Japanese, alright. Or a small panda in disguise. Previous neighbour's dog barked like it was the end of the world with quakes that couldn't even be felt. YMMV.
　

[Twallock]

I prefer to use them as crash detectors.

If the bonnet's suddenly red, then you've had a crash.


Of course, fat cats make good air bags too, and hamsters can be turned into rather nice fur coats.

[Got To Be Kidding]

Well, our apartment has been invaded by a rabbit, so we'll see if it reacts to the next quake.

However, I should point out that there's no compliment that says anything like 'smart as rabbits'.

[KeLun]

... and hamsters can be turned into rather nice fur coats.

You've gotta be a tiny person or have a lot of hamsters, though.
　

[Twallock]

I am a tiny person.

Well, parts of me are tiny.




I still have lots of used hamsters, though, so I can make you a coat too if you want.

Gerbil fur is shorter, probably more suitable for Taiwan.

[Got To Be Kidding]

Oy VEH