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12/31/2004 Entry: "Debunking animal ESP"
Debunking animal ESP. Sadly, everytime there's a tragedy the credulous are off on their little quest to "prove" animals have ESP. Pathetic really. First off as this short BBC article states, animals have much better hearing than we do. Secondly, animals in coastal regions which have a history of tsunami or tectonic activity are rare and hardy. From this piece on how shrimp fishing by removing mangroves (coastal shrubs) can help stop the damage from a tsunami.
The shrimps and prawns are sold to Europeans and other foreigners "at a price that does not include the environmental cost which is being paid today," McNeely said.The same thing has been happening with the coral reefs that also provided protection to the coast, he explained.
"When a tsunami comes in, it first hits the coral reef which slows it down, then it hits the mangroves which further slow it down. It may get through that but by then a lot of the energy has already been dissipated."
Conservationists in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand had warned that mangroves had tremendous value for conservation and to protect the coastline, McNeely said.
On the other hand, Sunday's quake would not have been a disaster for local wildlife still left in the affected areas, he added.
The species that live in mangroves are used to typhoons, storms and all that. "Animals are smart enough to move," he said.
See also:
The tale of the so-called psychic dog.See also: Skepdic entry on ESP.
Replies: 1 Comment
Intresting . But surely the definition of Extra sensorey perception , is literaly having a greater perception of information provided by ones senses ? Animals do possess sense we dont as well (sharkes can percieve electical fields , Bats and Giraffs (please excuse spelling its 2:33 am GMT !) can percieve ultrasound, infact some humans can see into Ultra violet part of the spectrum).
This seems more a "debunking" of syntax rather then a rational response to ways in which senses of animals work in a different way to our own.
Posted by Loz @ 12/31/2004 05:36 PM CST
