In conclusion we cannot live alone on this planet, Start respecting animals.
Sixth Sense and Animals
Something that has astounded many after the recent Tsunami disaster is that not very many wild animals have been found dead. It seems that most of those who could fly, run or crawl quickly, left their usual habitats and went to higher ground where the waves couldn’t reach them.
People who take care of animals are not very surprised. Many people who keep horses, dogs, cats or birds can tell stories of how the animals were agitated and acted strangely before a severe storm or earthquake. Even tiny fish in an aquarium behave differently before the smallest tremor that no human feels.
Animals have keen senses of smell and hearing that help them survive in the wild; senses we have lost or perhaps never had. Unlike us, they can often pick up rumblings many kilometres away. Elephants in Kenya have fled, trembling in fear, to the far corner of a reserve when they heard what to us were inaudible sounds of distressed elephants being shot at a far corner of an adjoining forest.
The funny thing is that, most animals communicate using very low-pitched sounds. These are called infrasounds. These sound waves can travel long distances, and even go through buildings, dense forests and hills. You and I can hear sound that measures from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz. But most animals communicate using sounds that are lower that 20 hertz.
Tigers, whales, mice, elephants, frogs and rhinos are among those who use such infrasonic sounds to communicate with one another. So if there is a storm far, far away, some animals hear it before anyone else, and give warnings; warnings we may not recognize and so may ignore. Sadly, elephants in zoos or kept in cages cannot escape and one can only feel ill at the thought of how they are desperate to go, but cannot. Another argument against keeping animals captive!
Polar bears live in the Arctic and have to be very aware of snowstorms and shifts in temperature. Like other animals, they are so sensitive that they can note electrostatic disturbances (that happen during a thunder storm), and can even recognise the smell of a storm.
Besides taste, hearing and feeling, animals have other senses, which make them aware of changes in temperature, magnetic fields and even the traces of chemicals in the air. When these chemicals change, perhaps due to a disaster or the presence of someone who can be a threat (like a hunter, or other large predator), the animal is on his or her guard. The vomeronasal organ, also called Jacobson’s organ, helps animals detect chemicals in the air. Sometimes these organs are hidden just under the animal’s lip, so when your dog or cat snarls at someone, they are actually cleverly using their twin vomeronasal organs to sense if this person or the other animal is friend or foe, giving off chemicals that say “I like you” or “I’m ready to attack you.” Snakes and other reptiles use their tongues to sense such things. These organs are used not only for detecting danger, but also to talk to another member of the same species. Each one sends out chemical signals called pheromones, and the other recognises them and sends some back. This is how they hold conversations!
Even small fish are smarter than we have been led to believe. It turns out we are the ignorant ones! They not only have long-term memories (so be sure to be nice to them, they won’t forget!), but fish also have a thin line of sensitive cells on their sides. These cells can sense movement, vibration and change in the direction of the current. So when there is a hurricane or strong current, the fish try hard to move to safer areas.
Living on their own in the wild, their home, animals develop and keep sharp their senses so that they can take care of themselves in case of predictable danger. They also learn to observe other animals’ signals. So, a sea gull flying over the sea may sense a storm and come back to the mainland and the monkeys sitting on the trees will see this and take action. The monkeys’ calls and their flight to safety will in turn tell the other animals of the jungle. In this way, animals have cleverly survived many natural disasters.