In the story that you are about to read, “The Dog of Pompeii,” one of the main characters, a dog named Bimbo, is unusually restless and agitated with his owner, who is puzzled by the dog’s strange behavior. Hours later, disaster strikes the city of Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupts, burying the entire city under twenty feet of ash, pumice stones, and rubble. Bimbo’s unusual behavior before the volcanic eruption is not so unusual. Since ancient times, there have been many observations of odd animal behaviors before natural disasters have struck. In fact, in 373 bc, historical records indicate that large populations of rats, snakes, and weasels were spotted fleeing the Greek city of Helice before an earthquake devastated that region. Over the centuries, many historical records have documented odd animal behaviors that have preceded natural disasters, including animals leaving their natural habitats, waking from hibernation, behaving wildly or restlessly, and producing vocal sounds without apparent reasons. In recent years, elephants and other wild animals were seen moving inland toward the forests before the
2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that affected Southeast Asia. Zoo officials also reported that many of the captive animals hid in their enclosed shelters before the tsunami struck. In
2008, thousands of frogs and toads were spotted migrating from their habitats in the
Sichuan province of China before an earthquake struck that region. Can animals sense natural disasters? That question has puzzled scientists and meteorologists for years. Although most scientists agree that animals do not have a sixth sense or extrasensory perception, they do agree that the sensory systems of animals are highly acute and therefore can sense changes in the earth and in the atmosphere that humans cannot detect. For example, animals can sense changes in temperature, can hear sound frequencies and feel vibrations that humans cannot detect, and can sense electromagnetic fields in the atmosphere. All of these signs are possible indicators of several natural disasters including earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.