Did animals’ “ sixth sense” save them from tsunami?(摘自《大河报》）

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动物逃过海啸大劫难全靠神秘“第六感”？

Did animals’ “ sixth sense” save them from tsunami?

Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, adding weight to notions they possess a “sixth sense” for disasters, experts said last Thursday.

上周二（12月28日），有专家表示，野生动物们似乎躲过了印度洋的海啸，这进一步证实了动物对自然灾难有“第六感”的观点。

Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island’s coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found.

斯里兰卡负责野生动物的官员表示，巨浪席卷了印度洋海岛沿岸，淹死了2.4万多人，但野生动物似乎都幸免于难，目前尚未发现一具动物的尸体。

“No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening, “H.D.Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department, said last Wednesday.

“没有大象丧生，甚至连野兔和兔子都活得好好的。我想动物们可以感觉到灾难即将来临。它们有第六感，能够知道海啸发生的时间。”斯里兰卡野生动物保护局副局长H.D.拉特那亚克上周三说。

Other authorities concurred with this assessment. Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators.

其他权威人士同意这一看法。一些动物的确是依靠嗅觉或听觉等人类已知的官能来躲避危险的，比如食肉动物。

The notion of an animal “sixth sense” –or some other mythical power—is an enduring one which the evidence on Sri Lanka’s battered coast is likely to add to.

关于动物“第六感”（或者其他神秘力量）的说法已有很长时间，斯里兰卡被摧毁的海滩可能会为这一说法再添一笔证据。[em06][em06][em08][em08]