Does a total solar eclipse trigger abnormal activity in animals, birds?

Mexico and parts of North America are set to witness a total solar eclipse today. The total eclipse will be seen across Mexico, 15 states of the USA, and a part of eastern Canada. The rest of the North American continent will see a partial solar eclipse.

The rare event comes to pass when the sun, moon and earth align. When the moon passes between the sun and the earth, it temporarily blocks the sun’s light and casts a shadow on the earth.

While people have a range of reactions to the event, from those who are stoked about the opportunity to observe the phenomenon to those who dread it, how, if at all, will animals respond to ‘nightfall’ in the afternoon? That is a matter of great interest to animal lovers and researchers.

During previous solar eclipses around the world, people have reported a surreal silence as birds, bugs, and animals are interrupted from their normal activities. Swarms of birds large enough to appear on radar have suddenly left the sky and roosted in trees.

Unusual behaviour has also been observed in denizens of zoos. During a total solar eclipse in 2017, flamingoes were seen gathering in a circle around their babies as if to protect them. Giraffes began galloping around their enclosure. Gorillas marched to their dens, expecting the final meal of the day. Ancient Galapagos tortoises started mating. Many of these animals regained their composure when the eclipse ended.

This time, too, scientists are set to study animals at various zoos that fall in the path of totality. People have also been encouraged to offer their observations of animals around them.

In 2017, a group of researchers used radar to see just what birds were doing during the eclipse. The experiment is being repeated this time, too, with 143 weather radar stations used to observe birds.

While pets are included in the research, veterinarians believe not much will change for them, though the behaviour of their human companions on the day may cause minor changes. Dr Rena Carlson, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, told the newspaper USA Today, “They are going to react more to our reactions, our excitement, and our anxiety than anything actually from the eclipse.”

Veterinarians in Bombay seem to be in agreement. “I don’t think the eclipse will affect pet animals in any way,” said Dr Trisha D’Souza, senior veterinarian at the Animal Rehabilitation and Welfare Centre in Chembur. “I have never seen any strange behaviour in animals during a solar eclipse. Even abroad, [the behavioural changes] were noticed among wild animals in zoos. They still have their natural habitats intact, so they are just reacting to the lack of sunlight at that point in time.”

Dr Kshitij Bane, who runs Bane’s Pet Clinic at Andheri (East), also said this was the first time he had heard of anything like this in his 20+ years as a veterinary practitioner. “Odd behaviour occurs during hot climate, mostly,” he said. “This is a different scenario as there is lack of light. It affects plants also. It all depends on what kind of environment they are in.”

Dr D’Souza did, however, make an interesting observation about another of nature’s regular occurrences—the full moon. “Dogs that have seizures, some of them are affected during a full moon,” she said. Now that observation might be the result of watching too many horror films, or would call for some serious study.