Psychic animals recruited to help predict earthquakes
Breeders have to brief the bureau in the eastern city about the behavior of the animals twice a day, or abnormal behavior as soon as possible, through QQ, Chinese instant messaging software.
Special training at the bureau lists possible abnormal behavior as chickens flying atop trees instead of eating, a large number of fish leaping out of water or many toads moving home, said Zhou Hongbing, a breeder turned earthquake observer at Banqiao Ecological Park, one of the refurbished animal farms.
To make sure the behavior of animals is closely tracked, cameras are set up across the park which is home to 200 black boars, 2,000 chickens, and a fish pond of 6.6 hectares.
(Domesticated black boars in a pigsty. Any abnormal behavior will be reported to the seismological bureau.)
(Chickens play unaware that they are being closely monitored. )