Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Was curious if ne one from the indo's or areas hit by the tsunamis could shed some light on the destruction the quake took on the the animals in these areas. I would imagine that it must be catastrophic...It is a shame. Seems like everything works against the preservation of wildlife...either man made destruction or mother nature destruction...

The devastation in south asia is terrible, but I imagine most of the wildlife fled to higher ground before the tsunami hit.
Neal
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pale reason hides the infinite from us

It is unquestionable as to the devastation that this disaster has caused. It is horrible trajedy, and my best wishes are for the families of those affected.

On a different note, it would be interesting to see or document the foraging behaviors that the Varanus salvator in the affected regions will have, due to the abundance of dead bodies, and makeshift graves.

Again, no disresepect to the deceased; however, it would be interesting to hear if there is an increase in 'grave raiding' by water monitors in the affected areas of asia..

bob
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TheOdatriad

eww but instresting

do monitor sence these kinds of things like dogs do sometimes?

Yesterday, when I was watching the news, the question of dead animals in the areas hit came up. The reporter said they had not found any dead animals and they surmised that the animals did indeed have a sense of the disaster prior to its' arrival and had fled to higher ground. Just thought this was interesting in light of this thread.

Pam

Yeah I saw the story about the animals in a national park had retreated to higher ground, but those were all larger animals. And I would also imagine that most animals could since it coming, however the smaller animals would not be able to cover the same amount of ground as a larger animal would be able to so was curious if they would have the time to get out of the way...also, I would also imagine that most monitors would survive due to their durability and ability to stay afloat for quite some time and also tree climbing abilities but what about all the smaller animals that would serve as food sources for these monitors and also the concern of loss of habitat if ne...

Odatriad, that is very interesting, about the grave raiding...

I was hoping to here from some people from the islands that visit this site but I guess they won't be able to respond for awhile with phone lines and power lines down...

thanks for the input

I would say the animals regained habitat more so then loosing it.

Large python saves Riza and twins
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A few survivors of Sunday's calamity have a snake to thank for being alive.
Riza, a 26-year-old clothes vendor, said that at about 8 a.m. she was enjoying the holiday in bed when suddenly she saw walls of water, mud, rocks and branches rushing into the neighborhood. People were screaming and running. Riza, who was living in a rented house near the coast in Banda Aceh with three friends, dashed up to the second floor of a neighbor's house and stood on top of a cupboard.
But as she told Antara from a makeshift shelter on Wednesday, the current swept her and her friends off their perch. As Riza was drifting, she saw her neighbors, two girls -- twins -- and their mother.
Riza, who can swim, managed to help the girls. She saw that their mother was badly injured.
"The mother shouted, 'please help save my children. Let me be, but please save my children,'" Riza recounted, in tears.
As she struggled for her own life and that of the twins, she said a large snake as long as a telephone pole approached her. She and the nine-year-olds rested on the reptile, which was drifting along with the current.
"Thank God, we landed on higher ground where the water level was only about a meter deep. The twins, who were badly injured, were safe." Riza then slapped her face to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
Riza, who is currently taking refuge in the Bandar Blang Bintang area, plans to go to her relatives' house in Medan, North Sumatra.
"God still loves me," she said, adding that she would never forget the tragedy.

There have been a few articles out about how there are no dead wild animals around. Many people in South Asia are now believing in the "sixth sense" of animals.

I'm sure the water monitors and mugger crocs are having a field day with all the new habitat.

Sucks for the people that it happened, but maybe mankind will learn that the coastal wetlands and mangrove forests are there for a reason and to quit cutting them down to build resort hotels on the beach.