NYT/AP: Tsunami Kills Few Animals in Sri Lanka (sixth sense?)

[DeepModem Mom]

Tsunami Kills Few Animals in Sri Lanka
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: December 29, 2004

Filed at 10:39 a.m. ET


YALA NATIONAL PARK, Sri Lanka (AP) -- Wildlife officials in Sri Lanka expressed surprise Wednesday that they found no evidence of large-scale animal deaths from the tsunamis -- indicating that animals may have sensed the wave coming and fled to higher ground.

An Associated Press photographer who flew over Sri Lanka's Yala National Park in an air force helicopter saw abundant wildlife, including elephants, buffalo, deer, and not a single animal corpse.

Floodwaters from Sunday's tsunami swept into the park, uprooting trees and toppling cars onto their roofs -- one red car even ended up on top of a huge tree -- but the animals apparently were not harmed and may have sought out high ground, said Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne, whose Jetwing Eco Holidays ran a hotel in the park.

``This is very interesting. I am finding bodies of humans, but I have yet to see a dead animal,'' said Wijeyeratne, whose hotel in the park was destroyed.

``Maybe what we think is true, that animals have a sixth sense,'' Wijeyeratne said....


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Quake-Sri-Lanka-Animals.html

[Sannum]

1. Amazing.

Animals are just amazing. I read this last night and my mouth dropped open.

I swear, my cat can tell when I am going to get depressed three weeks before I do. He just knows, and acts worried and tries to cuddle more to make me feel better.

[Pithy Cherub]

2. Extroardinary!

Was wondering whether the habitat had remained intact and the animals knew exactly what to do.

[Moderator]

3. locking

continue here

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