Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, adding weight to notions they possess a "sixth sense" for disasters.
Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.
"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening," H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department, said on Wednesday.
The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km (2 miles) inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards. "There has been a lot of anecdotal evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven," said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo.
"There have been no specific studies because you can't really test it in a lab or field setting," he said.
Other authorities concurred with this assessment.
"Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon, especially birds. There are many reports of birds detecting impending disasters," said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife.
Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators.
The notion of an animal "sixth sense" —— or some other mythical power —— is an enduring one which the evidence on Sri Lanka's battered coast is likely to add to.
The Romans saw owls as omens of impending disaster and many ancient cultures viewed elephants as sacred animals endowed with special powers or attributes.
有專家表示，野生動物們似乎躲過了印度洋的海嘯，這進一步證實了動物對自然災難有“第六感“的觀點。
斯里蘭卡負責野生動物的官員表示，巨浪席卷印度洋海島沿岸，淹死了兩萬四千多人，但野生動物似乎都幸免于難，目前尚未發(fā)現(xiàn)一具動物的尸體。
“沒有大象喪生，甚至連野兔和兔子都活得好好的。我想動物們可以感覺到災難即將來臨。它們有第六感，能夠知道海嘯發(fā)生的時間?！彼估锾m卡野生動物保護局副局長H·D·拉特納亞克周三說。
海洪沖向離岸三公里（相當于二英里）遠的亞拉國家公園，這里是斯里蘭卡的野生動物保護區(qū)，生活著幾百頭野生大象和一些美洲豹，海嘯引發(fā)的洪水使亞拉國家公園所在的東南部地區(qū)變得一片狼藉。南非約翰內(nèi)斯堡動物園的動物行為專家馬太·范倫內(nèi)普說：“每當火山爆發(fā)或地震發(fā)生前，動物們的行為就會發(fā)生許多異常，比如犬吠或鳥類遷徙，但這些現(xiàn)象尚未得到科學證明?！?BR> 他說：“目前還沒有這方面的專門研究，因為你無法在實驗室或?qū)嶋H環(huán)境中進行真正的試驗?！?BR> 其他權(quán)威人士同意這一看法。
“野生動物似乎能夠感知某些特殊現(xiàn)象，尤其是鳥類。很多報告顯示鳥類能察覺即將來臨的災難?！笨巳R夫·沃克這樣說，他曾經(jīng)寫過數(shù)本關(guān)于非洲野生動物的書。
一些動物確實是依靠嗅覺或聽覺等人類已知的官能來躲避危險的，比如食肉動物。
關(guān)于動物“第六感”（或者其他神秘力量）的說法已有很長時間，斯里蘭卡被摧殘的海灘可能會為這一說法再添一筆證據(jù)。
羅馬人把貓頭鷹視為迫近兇險的征兆，很多古代文明都將大象看作擁有特殊能力或象征的“圣獸”。
Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.
"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening," H.D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department, said on Wednesday.
The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km (2 miles) inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards. "There has been a lot of anecdotal evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven," said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo.
"There have been no specific studies because you can't really test it in a lab or field setting," he said.
Other authorities concurred with this assessment.
"Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon, especially birds. There are many reports of birds detecting impending disasters," said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife.
Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators.
The notion of an animal "sixth sense" —— or some other mythical power —— is an enduring one which the evidence on Sri Lanka's battered coast is likely to add to.
The Romans saw owls as omens of impending disaster and many ancient cultures viewed elephants as sacred animals endowed with special powers or attributes.
有專家表示，野生動物們似乎躲過了印度洋的海嘯，這進一步證實了動物對自然災難有“第六感“的觀點。
斯里蘭卡負責野生動物的官員表示，巨浪席卷印度洋海島沿岸，淹死了兩萬四千多人，但野生動物似乎都幸免于難，目前尚未發(fā)現(xiàn)一具動物的尸體。
“沒有大象喪生，甚至連野兔和兔子都活得好好的。我想動物們可以感覺到災難即將來臨。它們有第六感，能夠知道海嘯發(fā)生的時間?！彼估锾m卡野生動物保護局副局長H·D·拉特納亞克周三說。
海洪沖向離岸三公里（相當于二英里）遠的亞拉國家公園，這里是斯里蘭卡的野生動物保護區(qū)，生活著幾百頭野生大象和一些美洲豹，海嘯引發(fā)的洪水使亞拉國家公園所在的東南部地區(qū)變得一片狼藉。南非約翰內(nèi)斯堡動物園的動物行為專家馬太·范倫內(nèi)普說：“每當火山爆發(fā)或地震發(fā)生前，動物們的行為就會發(fā)生許多異常，比如犬吠或鳥類遷徙，但這些現(xiàn)象尚未得到科學證明?！?BR> 他說：“目前還沒有這方面的專門研究，因為你無法在實驗室或?qū)嶋H環(huán)境中進行真正的試驗?！?BR> 其他權(quán)威人士同意這一看法。
“野生動物似乎能夠感知某些特殊現(xiàn)象，尤其是鳥類。很多報告顯示鳥類能察覺即將來臨的災難?！笨巳R夫·沃克這樣說，他曾經(jīng)寫過數(shù)本關(guān)于非洲野生動物的書。
一些動物確實是依靠嗅覺或聽覺等人類已知的官能來躲避危險的，比如食肉動物。
關(guān)于動物“第六感”（或者其他神秘力量）的說法已有很長時間，斯里蘭卡被摧殘的海灘可能會為這一說法再添一筆證據(jù)。
羅馬人把貓頭鷹視為迫近兇險的征兆，很多古代文明都將大象看作擁有特殊能力或象征的“圣獸”。