Can animals predict the onset of earthquake activity before humans experience it?
Some researchers believe that animals are aware of an oncoming seismic event because they are naturally more susceptible to subtle changes in the environment. Others counter that there are many reasons behind strange animal behavior and that a human psychological aspect may play a part – people want to believe that their animals experience a premonition of what is to come. Whether or not animals can detect earthquakes before humans is still debated. What is known is that earthquake prediction in any form is not an exact science. Outside the United States, seismologists in several earthquake regions continue to engage in studies that attempt to examine the level of animal sensitivity as a part of a larger study to learn how to better predict earthquakes. Since 1971, the Chinese have established an operational network of experimental stations in various regions of high seismic activity in order to evaluate unusual events that are reported by observers, including uncharacteristic behavior
