VOA Special English -- English Central      

FancyEnglish            Animal Forecasters          百科知识

VOA -- English Central Animal Forecasters Animal Forecasters. Do you think animals can predict the weather or other natural events? Farmers living in the countryside think so. For hundreds of years, they have observed animals and noticed many things about the way animals act. For example, some farmers believe that if they see swans flying into the wind, a hurricane is coming or when cows lie down, a rainstorm is coming. There are many traditional stories connecting animals and natural events. Some scientists are taking another look at animals to see if there is any truth behind these stories and beliefs. They have found some surprising things. Kiyoshi Shimamura is a Japanese earthquake researcher. He noticed an increase in dog bites a short time before earthquakes hit. Then, he did an investigation of twelve public health centers in Kobe, Japan. These health centers treated people after a big earthquake. Shimamura noticed that the month before the big earthquake, treatment for animal bites had increased. In fact, aggressive behavior in dogs, such as biting and barking loudly, jumped 60 percent! Other animals change their behavior before an earthquake as well. For example, fish in ponds or lakes begin swimming together in large groups only in the middle of the water and not near the edges. Also, birds may fly away from their nests for many days, leaving their eggs unprotected. These behaviors suggest that animals may be able to predict natural events, such as earthquakes, better than people.