CHINA USING DOGS TO PREDICT EARTHQUAKES: DOGS HAVE LONG BEEN KNOWN TO SENSE EARTHQUAKES MUCH BEFORE HUMANS DO

 

In China earthquakes are not just an occasional upset, they are a common and frightening experience.  

China has experienced some of the most devastating earthquakes in the world, with one registered at 9.0 on the Richter scale.

It is no wonder then, that the Chinese have tried to divine the telltale signs of an earthquake before it strikes, from the Emperor's frog vase that was able to sense the slighest temblor, to modern techniques.

One source, however, had so far been left untapped: dogs.  

In Europe, for example, dogs are watched, together with pigs, for certain behaviors which are telltale signs of an earthquake to come, such as seeking a spot under a bench or table, to moaning and acting restless.

It seems the Chinese too now, are using the same powers of observation.  

In Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi province, lately hit by earthquakes, dogs are being monitored for unusual and telling behavior.  In fact, sometime the dogs start behaving oddly as early as 10 days before the temblor strikes. 

Ducks too are know to alert humans of an impeding temblor. 

In this case, the dogs are kept in the compound of the Nanchang earthquake authority. The dogs kept there being numerous, every night at around 11:00 pm they start barking over and over according to local reports.  

However, the compound's official has said the dogs will be sent to a lower-level earthquake bureau, and denies that the dogs have been making a ruckus in the night.  

It seems that the denizens of Nanchang are none too pleased with the authorities' less than scientific methods, and many complaints have been levied against the keepers of the dog pack.  

Partial source : FRance 24/  5.7.13