Calling of the Apes

　　A humorous picture was published on the Earthquake Reports issued by the US Geological Survey (USGS) in 1978. On the picture, was a hairy ape, with eyes closed. The hairy ape is screaming for its dear life. Attached with the picture was a few words to the effect that “I can foretell earthquakes, can the geologists?” The author probably meant to let the readers believe in the idea that animals can foretell earthquakes instead of satirizing seismologists.

　　As a matter of fact, when people talked about the lessons they learned from earthquakes, more often than not, they would mention the unusual behaviors of the animals. Unfortunately, people usually would not pay much attention to such behaviors before hand. On May 8, 1902, the volcano on Tinik Island, Italy, erupted and over 30,000 people died in the eruption. When people sorted out the relics after the eruption, quite to their surprise, they only found a dead cat for all animals. Afterwards, they learnt that all other (cats) animals had run away before the eruption. Nevertheless, one month before the eruption, people could no longer hear any birds chirping in the woods. On May 3, a middle school teacher wrote in his diary: “dogs barked fiercely and cows ran hastily on the road in groups.” If people had kept on alert, the loss during the eruption would have been mush less.

　　According to some statistics, presently people have found out that more than 130 kinds of animals have unusual behaviors before earthquakes, among them, about 20 kinds animals have exact reactions to earthquakes. Such as:

• Draught animals, such as horses, donkeys, mules and bulls etc；
• Livestock, such as dogs, cats, pigs，sheep and rabbits；
• Domestic fowls, such as chickens, ducks, geese, and pigeons etc.；
• Troglobite, such as mice, snakes and yellow weasels etc.；
• Aquatic animals, such as fish, loaches etc.；
• Insects, such as bees, dragonflies etc.

　　The unusual behaviors of the animals can be divided into three types:

• Too excited: be jittery, reluctant to enter sties, furious barking, as if crazy, flee in panic, fly in a flurry, move in groups, etc.
• Too depressed: act slowly, be in a trance, be at a loss or refuse to eat
• Change of habits: the snake in hibernation comes out, the mice do not fear people in daytime, frogs stay on the banks of water fields etc. 

　　What we must make clear is that the reasons for the unusual behaviors of the animals are multivariate. In many cases， such behaviors have nothing to do with earthquakes. So be sure to differentiate the truth from the false in observing the changes and be sure to keep relevant departments informed in a timely manner.