Scientists are studying whether goats and dogs can predict earthquakes and volcanic eruptions

A team of scientists has begun studying whether dogs, goats and other farm animals are able to predict natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.

They have enrolled thousands of animals in a program that attaches tiny transmitters to mammals, birds and insects to monitor their movements from a satellite in space.

In addition to analyzing their response to impending disasters, it also examines the spread of disease between races, the effects of climate change and migration patterns.

A previous study in Sicily on the slopes of Mount Etna, an active volcano, found that sensors showed goats became nervous before an eruption and refused to move to higher pastures.

“You know in advance what’s coming. We don’t know how they do it, but they do it,” said project leader Martin Wikelski from the Max Planck Institute for Behavioral Biology in Germany The Guardian.

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“Ultimately, we hope to launch a fleet of about six satellites and build a global observation network that will not only provide details on wildlife movements and animal health around the world, but also show how living things respond to natural phenomena such as earthquakes,” he said.

It remains unclear why animals behave this way. Mr. Wikelski suspects that the movement of tectonic plates, which “throw ions from the rocks into the air,” could trigger their reaction.

Tagging technology has made it easier for scientists to monitor animal behavior by allowing tiny digital transmitters to collect data that can be analyzed.

For example, an electronic ear tag attached to a wild boar helped reveal the rapid spread of the highly contagious African swine fever between wild boars and domestic pigs.

It should also help scientists understand migration and explain why creatures like the squirrel moth travel 2,000 miles between Europe and Africa each year.

“Similarly, we will be able to study animal populations to determine how they respond to habitat changes caused by global warming,” Wikelski said.

The launch of the International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space (Icarus) was planned several years ago, but due to the invasion of Ukraine it had to stop cooperation with its Russian counterparts on the International Space Station.

The team has now built a new small satellite, scheduled to launch next year, to begin work on the project.