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

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A team of scientists has set out to explore 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 uses small transmitters fitted to mammals, birds and insects to monitor their movements from a satellite in space.

In addition to analyzing their reaction to impending disasters, it will also study the spread of diseases between breeds, the impact of climate change and migration patterns.

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

“They already know what's coming. We don't know how they do it, but they do it,” project leader Martin Wikelski, of the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in Germany, told The Guardian.

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The team hopes to analyze whether the animals are aware of an upcoming volcanic eruption (AFP/Getty)

“Eventually, we hope to launch a fleet of about six satellites and create a global monitoring network that will not only provide details of wildlife movements and animal health across the planet, but also reveal how organisms respond to natural phenomena such as earthquakes,” he said.

It's still unclear why the animals behave this way, with Wikelski suggesting that the movement of tectonic plates that throw “ions from rocks into the air” could be causing their reaction.

Tagging technology has made it easier for scientists to monitor animal behavior, with small digital transmitters collecting data that can be analysed.

For example, an electronic ear tag placed on a wild boar helped show the rapid spread of highly contagious African swine fever between it and domestic pigs.

It is also supposed to help scientists understand why migration exists, and why creatures like the death's head moth travel 2,000 miles between Europe and Africa every 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 International Cooperation Organization for Animal Research using Space (Icarus) was scheduled to be launched several years ago, but was forced to stop cooperation with its Russian counterparts on the International Space Station due to the invasion of Ukraine.

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

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