In 2004, a powerful earthquake struck the Indian Ocean, triggering a tsunami that claimed many lives. Immediately after the disaster, TV coverage of the disaster was scant. The usual stories were, “Many people died, look what's left of the resort of XX, of the city of UU…” And then there were images of houses flattened to their foundations, wrecked cars, and the rubble that had been the remains of vast cities.
Today, as time has passed and the bitterness of loss has faded, many Western science channels frequently show films about that tsunami alongside films about past disasters. They also use footage of tourists who survived and died in Phuket and other devastated resorts.
Someone captured this on their smartphone: oh, how interesting! The water has receded from the shore! Ouch! The fish didn't have time to swim away, it's thrashing on the sand! oh, how interesting—something strange has appeared on the horizon, some kind of white streak! oh, how interesting! And it's getting closer! oh! It's already very close—and tall! oh! I should probably run…
The recording then contains a couple of seconds of underwater footage – before the water seeped in and ruined the camera: debris under the water, palm tree trunks, getting closer… darkness, end of recording…
And videos from those who didn't make it to the beach from their third-floor rooms: people wandering around on the former seabed, streams of water starting to flow, people seem to have woken up and are trying to escape, they are either being pulled under the water, or they are clinging to something and climbing out, saving their lives.
Someone dies, and someone else makes a killer video of the natural disaster. They hope to sell it for a lot of money later? They succeeded.
The tsunami wave destroyed and wiped off the face of the Earth numerous resorts and towns in Indonesia, Thailand, Sumatra, and Sri Lanka. Even on the African coast, in South Africa, 6,900 km from the epicenter, tens of thousands of people (today estimated at 40,000 to 60,000!) perished as they found themselves on the suddenly deadly coastline. As the saying goes, “wrong time, wrong place.”
Meanwhile, a miracle occurred in Sri Lanka. They, too, were hit by a wave over 10 meters high, and between 40,000 and 60,000 residents died there. BUT! The island's wildlife was virtually unharmed.
In the national park, animals retreated to safer areas, sensing trouble. Elephants and various cat species sensed the distant earthquake and realized they were in danger. So they fled. They had time to escape.
Their instincts and their departure saved the residents of several coastal villages—those who heeded the signs. The villagers followed the elephants into the island's interior, into the hills. And they were saved. Meanwhile, those “civilized” Sri Lankans who ignored the ancient “obscurantism” and silly omens drowned.
To tell the truth, there have long been people who believe in the predictive abilities of animals.
People discovered this a long time ago. Back in 373 BC, a powerful earthquake destroyed the Greek city of Helike. Meanwhile, five days before the earthquake, the city's animals became alarmed. Rats and snakes began fleeing the city. Those Helikens who heeded the “sign from the gods” survived. Those who were too smart and independent perished in the earthquake.
In the Andes, peasants keep canaries in villages to predict earthquakes. When the canaries start thrashing and tearing at their cages, it's time to jump out of the house and escape.
Even the civilized Japanese have adopted these “prejudices and obscurantism.”
In early February 1975, something strange began to happen in the city of Heicheng, Japan: toads and snakes began fleeing the city and its surrounding areas. It was winter, and they were supposed to be hibernating!
The authorities declared a state of emergency and began evacuating residents. They were safely evacuated. But just when doubts arose—was it really worth paying attention to those toads?—nature struck. A magnitude 7.3 earthquake wiped the doomed city off the face of the earth.
So it turns out that man, with his enormous intellect, is still far from being a “brainless” canary in some areas of knowledge.
We know a lot, but what we don't know is much greater! And we should remember this and not reject nature's cues. Nature always knows best. And we are “smart as hell,” as the joke goes.
