But then, as we’ve reported in the past, they always do. Animals and birds in Pakistan started strangely just before the first earthquake hit. Dogs started barking for no reason and packs of them began roaming in the streets. Cats were also restless and refused to eat and flocks of birds left their perches and flew into the sky. We’ve reported before that animals often know an earthquake is coming before humans have a clue.
The idea that animals can predict earthquakes has been around for centuries. In 373 BC, historians recorded that rats, snakes and weasels deserted the Greek city of Helice days before a major quake. There have been pre-quake reports of chickens that have stopped laying and bees deserting their hives. There are ancient Chinese pottery sculptures that depict the use of mice as earthquake detectors. Japan, which lies on a major fault and has one of the world’s biggest earthquake problems, has long studied the use of animals to predict major quakes.
Art credit: http://www.freeimages.co.uk
Can earthquakes be predicted? We’ve had guests on Dreamland who say they can and you can still hear these fascinating shows if you subscribe today. We’re not the only ones who are worried about the future, but we believe that the future can be predicted if you know enough about the past. Whitley once met a mysterious man who told him all about it. This knowledge led to the writing of the definitive book about the weather.
NOTE: This news story, previously published on our old site, will have any links removed.
Subscribers, to watch the subscriber version of the video, first log in then click on Dreamland Subscriber-Only Video Podcast link.