Animal Behavior and Natural Disasters

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2018) | Viewed by 29444

Special Issue Editors

Department of Physics, University of Bari, 70126 Bari, Italy
Department of Animal and Land Sciences, Hartpury College, Gloucs GL19 3 BE, UK
Interests: animal behaviour; animal welfare particularly in non-mammalian species and species that have complex needs in captivity, such as psittacines, amphibians and reptiles.
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Anomalous behavior of animals before natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami and landslides, has been often reported. As an early example, Plinius reported anomalous behavior of aquatic birds that had been observed the day before the Vesuvius eruption (79 AD). On the occasion of the landslide in 1963 near the Vajont dam (North Italy), local people referred to anomalous behavior of domestic animals observed some hours before the event. In these cases, the cause of the anomalies is not known, but they are probably related to micro-fracturing processes, micro tremors/movements, magma upload, and temperature increase.

In recent years, a great deal of evidence has indicated that the earthquake generation process is a critical phenomenon, but before it reaches the critical point, a regional system of faults goes through a period of accelerating seismicity and seismic energy release, which comprises the signature of the approach to the critical state. By the end of this stage the critical point has been attained and stress is determined by friction in the shear zone, with strain caused by an avalanche of fusing cracks leading to irreversible instability and rupture. Thus, changes in the physical/chemical state of the earth precede earthquakes, known as seismic precursors. These precursors, evident in their genesis, are ground uplift and tilt, gas emissions, underground water level fluctuations, changes in groundwater chemistry, changes in the electrical resistivity of rocks and electric, magnetic and electromagnetic emissions from the ground. Anomalous behaviors of a variety of animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, fishes and insects, have been observed before earthquakes. Anomalous behaviors have been reported in domestic animals, including hens not hatching their eggs, cows not milking or bees abandoning their hives some days or hours before strong earthquakes. At the moment, the precise cause of these behaviors is not known, but it is evident that they are related to some of the phenomena listed above.

Finally, studies regarding the animals behavior during other natural disasters, such as hurricanes, droughts and fire will be considered for publication.

In conclusion, the proposed Special Issue is focused on improving our understanding of anomalous behavior of animals before and during the natural disasters, with a focus on understanding of the causes of such behavior.

I encourage the researchers to submit papers regarding all the topics mentioned above.

Dr. Pier Francesco Bagi
Dr. Rachel Grant
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • animals
  • behaviours
  • natural disasters
  • evidences
  • causes

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 10673 KiB  
Article
Did Harvey Learn from Katrina? Initial Observations of the Response to Companion Animals during Hurricane Harvey
by Steve Glassey
Animals 2018, 8(4), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8040047 - 30 Mar 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 9650
Abstract
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 became the genesis of animal emergency management and created significant reforms in the US particularly the passage of the Pets Emergency and Transportation Standards Act in 2006 that required state and local emergency management arrangements to [...] Read more.
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 became the genesis of animal emergency management and created significant reforms in the US particularly the passage of the Pets Emergency and Transportation Standards Act in 2006 that required state and local emergency management arrangements to be pet- and service animal-inclusive. More than a decade later Hurricane Harvey struck the Gulf states with all 68 directly related deaths occurring in the state of Texas. In this study, six key officials involved in the response underwent a semi-structured interview to investigate the impact of the PETS Act on preparedness and response. Though the results have limitations due to the low sample size, it was found that the PETS Act and the lessons of Hurricane Katrina had contributed to a positive cultural shift to including pets (companion animals) in emergency response. However, there was a general theme that plans required under the PETS Act were under-developed and many of the animal response lessons from previous emergencies remain unresolved. The study also observed the first empirical case of disaster hoarding which highlights the need for animal law enforcement agencies to be active in emergency response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Behavior and Natural Disasters)
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19 pages, 75182 KiB  
Article
Can a Red Wood-Ant Nest Be Associated with Fault-Related CH4 Micro-Seepage? A Case Study from Continuous Short-Term In-Situ Sampling
by Gabriele M. Berberich, Aaron M. Ellison, Martin B. Berberich, Arne Grumpe, Adrian Becker and Christian Wöhler
Animals 2018, 8(4), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8040046 - 28 Mar 2018
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4748
Abstract
We measured methane (CH4) and stable carbon isotope of methane (δ13C-CH4) concentrations in ambient air and within a red wood-ant (RWA; Formica polyctena) nest in the Neuwied Basin (Germany) using high-resolution in-situ sampling to detect microbial, [...] Read more.
We measured methane (CH4) and stable carbon isotope of methane (δ13C-CH4) concentrations in ambient air and within a red wood-ant (RWA; Formica polyctena) nest in the Neuwied Basin (Germany) using high-resolution in-situ sampling to detect microbial, thermogenic, and abiotic fault-related micro-seepage of CH4. Methane degassing from RWA nests was not synchronized with earth tides, nor was it influenced by micro-earthquake degassing or concomitantly measured RWA activity. Two δ13C-CH4 signatures were identified in nest gas: −69‰ and −37‰. The lower peak was attributed to microbial decomposition of organic matter within the RWA nest, in line with previous observations that RWA nests are hot-spots of microbial CH4. The higher peak has not been reported in previous studies. We attribute this peak to fault-related CH4 emissions moving via fault networks into the RWA nest, which could originate either from thermogenic or abiotic CH4 formation. Sources of these micro-seepages could be Devonian schists, iron-bearing “Klerf Schichten”, or overlapping micro-seepage of magmatic CH4 from the Eifel plume. Given the abundance of RWA nests on the landscape, their role as sources of microbial CH4 and biological indicators for abiotically-derived CH4 should be included in estimation of methane emissions that are contributing to climatic change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Behavior and Natural Disasters)
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13 pages, 2975 KiB  
Article
Offshore Earthquakes Do Not Influence Marine Mammal Stranding Risk on the Washington and Oregon Coasts
by Rachel A. Grant, Anna Savirina and Will Hoppitt
Animals 2018, 8(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8020018 - 26 Jan 2018
Viewed by 4066
Abstract
The causes of marine mammals stranding on coastal beaches are not well understood, but may relate to topography, currents, wind, water temperature, disease, toxic algal blooms, and anthropogenic activity. Offshore earthquakes are a source of intense sound and disturbance and could be a [...] Read more.
The causes of marine mammals stranding on coastal beaches are not well understood, but may relate to topography, currents, wind, water temperature, disease, toxic algal blooms, and anthropogenic activity. Offshore earthquakes are a source of intense sound and disturbance and could be a contributing factor to stranding probability. We tested the hypothesis that the probability of marine mammal stranding events on the coasts of Washington and Oregon, USA is increased by the occurrence of offshore earthquakes in the nearby Cascadia subduction zone. The analysis carried out here indicated that earthquakes are at most, a very minor predictor of either single, or large (six or more animals) stranding events, at least for the study period and location. We also tested whether earthquakes inhibit stranding and again, there was no link. Although we did not find a substantial association of earthquakes with strandings in this study, it is likely that there are many factors influencing stranding of marine mammals and a single cause is unlikely to be responsible. Analysis of a subset of data for which detailed descriptions were available showed that most live stranded animals were pups, calves, or juveniles, and in the case of dead stranded mammals, the commonest cause of death was trauma, disease, and emaciation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Behavior and Natural Disasters)
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865 KiB  
Article
Understanding Animal Detection of Precursor Earthquake Sounds
by Michael Garstang and Michael C. Kelley
Animals 2017, 7(9), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani7090066 - 31 Aug 2017
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 7626
Abstract
We use recent research to provide an explanation of how animals might detect earthquakes before they occur. While the intrinsic value of such warnings is immense, we show that the complexity of the process may result in inconsistent responses of animals to the [...] Read more.
We use recent research to provide an explanation of how animals might detect earthquakes before they occur. While the intrinsic value of such warnings is immense, we show that the complexity of the process may result in inconsistent responses of animals to the possible precursor signal. Using the results of our research, we describe a logical but complex sequence of geophysical events triggered by precursor earthquake crustal movements that ultimately result in a sound signal detectable by animals. The sound heard by animals occurs only when metal or other surfaces (glass) respond to vibrations produced by electric currents induced by distortions of the earth’s electric fields caused by the crustal movements. A combination of existing measurement systems combined with more careful monitoring of animal response could nevertheless be of value, particularly in remote locations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Behavior and Natural Disasters)
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