Animals" Sixth Sense Saves Them from the South Asian Tsunami

By the Los Angeles News Group (Originally in English)

The January 4, 2005 edition of the China Daily reported that wild animals seem to have completely escaped the great tsunami of December 2004, which killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and Africa, adding weight to the notion that our fellow creatures possess a "sixth sense" for detecting impending disasters, or at the least, a sense of hearing that far excels that of humans, allowing them to detect the subtle vibrations of earthquakes and other natural events before they strike.

Sri Lankan officials report that the giant waves in which over 40,000 people from their nation lost their lives seemingly missed wild beasts. "No elephants are dead, and not even a dead hare or rabbit has been found. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening," says H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department.

The waves washed floodwaters into Yala National Park, Sri Lanka's largest wildlife reserve, but there were no signs of dead elephants, leopards, deer, jackals or crocodiles. This phenomenon adds to historical accounts of seismic waves, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, in which birds take flight, dogs howl and herd animals stampede to safety before catastrophe strikes.

'A lot of anecdotal evidence [exists] about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But there have been no specific studies because you can't really test it in a lab or field setting," says Matthew van Lierop of South Africa's Johannesburg Zoo. Clive Walker, author of several books on African fauna concurs: "Wildlife, especially birds, seems able to pick up certain phenomena. There are many reports of birds detecting impending disasters." Animals definitely rely on the known senses such as smell and hearing to avoid predators and other dangers. And the notion of an animal sixth sense is reinforced by the evidence on Sri Lanka's battered coast.

In conclusion, ancient cultures viewed elephants, owls and other creatures as sacred, endowing them with special attributes. So perhaps our ancestors were right and it has taken a disaster like the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to awaken modern civilization to the marvelous abilities of our animal brethren after centuries of being viewed as "lower forms of life." As Master says, "Animals are so clever. They understand everything. They are not lower than us. They are equal [to us] because they're so intelligent." (Excerpt from DVD #712 The Divine Intelligence of Animals)

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