Can Animals Predict Disaster?

According to hadith, animals shake on Fiday in anticipation of the Day of Judgement.The ongoing debate on whether animals have premonitions of approaching looming disaster has made me want to look up some research. Surprisingly, there's a lot available online, here's a condensation of some of what was reported:


Tsunami:-Flamingo along India’s Southern Coast inexplicably fled hours before the Tsunami hit
-Sri Lankan dogs refused their morning customary walks.
-Buffalo in a Thai village stampeded up a hill, saving the lives of villagers, who followed them, with only minutes to spare.
-Among human carnage, animals survived miraculously.

In Other Incidents:- In 373 B.C., historians recorded that animals, including rats, snakes and weasels, deserted the Greek city of Helice in droves just days before a quake devastated the place.
-February 4, 1975 the Chinese successfully evacuated the city of Haicheng several hours before a 7.3 magnitude earthquake--based primarily on observations of unusual animal behavior. 90% of the city's structures were destroyed in the quake, but the entire city had been evacuated before it struck. Nearly 90,000 lives were saved.

Mr. Hamza Yusuf brings up excellent points from a Muslim perspective (worth listening to). For example, he points out even if animals can hear and detect ultrasound waves, still what prompts them to move away and not toward the disaster? He also mentions how disobedient people are given rain (as a blessing) as long as animals and plants are among them. How animals are a source of mercy to mankind. He also stresses the importance of guarding transmission (isnad), as it saved the lives of many who were well-versed in the traditions of their elders.

In any case, I'll let you find your own answers. Enjoy the links!

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Signs From Allah: The Tsunami of Southeast Asia By: Hamza Yusuf

Etho-Geological Forecasting:
Unusual Animal Behavior & Earthquake Prediction

Can Animals Sense Earthquakes?

The Animals Lawsuit Against Humanity
A MUSLIM WORK TRANSLATED BY A RABBI FOR A 14TH CENTURY CHRISTIAN KING

Can Animals Predict Disaster?

Do Lost Pet Ads Predict Earthquakes?