வனவிலங்குகள் சுனாமியின் வரவை முன் கூட்டியே அறிந்தன..?!

இலங்கையை சுனாமி தாக்கிய போது எடுத்த படம்...!

இலங்கையிலும் தாய்லாந்திலும் யானைகளும் இதர காட்டு விலங்குகளும் சுனாமி அலைத்தாக்கத்தை முன்னரே அறிந்து கொண்டு பாதுகாப்பான இடங்களை நாடிச் சென்றுவிட்டதால் அவை அநேகம் உயிர்சேதத்தைச் சந்திக்காது தற்காத்துக் கொண்டுள்ளமை அவதானிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது...!

இலங்கையில் யால எனும் வனவிலங்குகள் பாதுகாப்பிடமாக விளங்கிய கரையோரக் காட்டுப் பிரதேசம் சுனாமி அலைத்தாக்கத்துக்கு இலக்காகிய போதும் அங்கு வாழ்ந்த காட்டுவிலங்குகள் எவையும் உயிரிழந்த அறிகுறிகளை அவதானிக்க முடியவில்லை. மாறாக அங்கு வனவிலங்குகளைப் பார்க்கச் சென்ற பல உல்லாசப் பிரயாணிகள் தான் காணாமல் போயுள்ளனர்... பலர் இறந்தும் உள்ளனர்...!

அதேபோல் தாய்லாந்தில் யானை ஏற்றத்திற்காக மனிதர்கள் வளர்த்த யானைகள் சுனாமித் தாக்கத்திற்கு முன்னர் மிரண்டடித்து கட்டியிருந்த சங்கிலிகளை அறுத்து தங்கள் அன்புக்குரிய மனிதர்களை பாதுகாக்க விளைந்துள்ளன...!

சுனாமி தாக்கிய இடங்களிலும் வீட்டுப் பிராணிகளான கோழிகள் நாய்கள் பெரிய உயிர்ச்சேதம் இன்றி தப்பிப்பிழைத்துள்ளன...!

விலங்குகளின் நடத்தையியல் கொண்டு பார்க்கின்ற போது சூழலில் ஏற்படும் பெளதீக, இரசாயன மாற்றங்களுக்கு ஒப்ப இயற்கை அழிவுகள் குறித்து முன் கூட்டியே அறியக் கூடிய சில புலனுணர்வுகள் ( "விலங்குகளுக்கான ஆறாவது அறிவு") அவற்றிற்கு இருக்கக் கூடுமோ என்று விஞ்ஞானிகளிடத்திலும் தற்போது சந்தேகம் தோன்றியுள்ளது...! எதிர்காலத்தில் இது குறித்து ஆய்வுகள் செய்யப்படலாம் என்றும் தெரிகிறது...!

பெரிய அளவில் செல்லப்பிராணிகளினதும் வனவிலங்குகளினதும் அசாதாரண நடத்தைக் கோலங்களை சாதாரணமாக எடுக்காமல் அவற்றையும் அறிவிப்புக்களாக நோக்குவது பண்டைய மனிதர்களிடத்தில் வழக்கத்தில் இருந்தமை இங்கு குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது...!

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Tsunami Adds to Belief in Animals' 'Sixth Sense'

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, adding weight to notions they possess a "sixth sense" for disasters, experts said Thursday.

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 Wednesday.

The waves washed floodwaters up to 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 behavior specialist at Johannesburg Zoo.

"There have been no specific studies because you can't really test it in a lab or field setting," he told Reuters.

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.

The tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean Sunday. It killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and East Africa.

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Elephants Save Tourists from Tsunami By VOA News

Elephant being prepared for rescue work after tsunami

Elephants in tsunami-devastated Thailand have joined the country's massive recovery work, one week after another group of elephants staged a dramatic rescue operation.

Thai officials say six jumbo elephants are now helping to tow heavy objects and pull away debris that heavy machinery cannot reach.

Elephants also played a crucial role before the tsunami hit.

Reuters news agency says eight elephants used for tourist rides at the Khao Lak beach resort became agitated last Sunday, more than an hour before the tsunami came ashore.

The beasts began crying, or "trumpeting," and finally broke free of their chains, heading for a nearby hill. Their trainers followed.

As the elephants fled, they lifted tourists onto their backs with their trunks, taking them to safety.

Scientists note animals often appear to sense the coming of natural calamities.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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Did animals have quake warning?

BBC Science correspondent

Do wild animals have a sixth sense?
Wildlife officials in Sri Lanka have reported that, despite the loss of human life in the Asian disaster, there have been no recorded animal deaths.

Waves from the worst tsunami in memory sent floodwater surging up to 3.5km (two miles) inland to the island's biggest wildlife reserve.

Many tourists drowned but, to the surprise of officials, no dead animals have been found.

It has highlighted claims that animals may possess a sixth sense about danger.

Yala National Park in Sri Lanka is home to elephants, deer, jackals and crocodiles.

Sensitive to change

Praised for its conservation, the park is also considered one of the best places in the world to observe leopards.

It is now closed after floods damaged buildings and caused the deaths of tourists and employees of the park and lodge.

Yet, surprisingly, none of the park's varied wildlife is reported to have perished.

Debbie Martyr, who works on a wild tiger conservation programme on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, one of the worst-hit areas in Sunday's disaster, said she was not surprised to hear there were no dead animals.

"Wild animals in particular are extremely sensitive," she said.

"They've got extremely good hearing and they will probably have heard this flood coming in the distance.

"There would have been vibration and there may also have been changes in the air pressure which will have alerted animals and made them move to wherever they felt safer."

There are many eyewitness accounts of birds and animals migrating before earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The scientific evidence for a sixth sense is lacking, but if the reports are confirmed, they could add to the understanding of animal behaviour and possibly even be used in the future as an early warning system for humans.