Can animals sniff out disaster?

THE days just after Christmas used to be happy ones, but events five years ago changed all that.

On St Stephen’s Day 2004, a fissure ruptured under the Indian Ocean.

The rift progressed along the seabed for 10 minutes, releasing a colossal amount of energy. A huge pressure wave set out like the Horsemen in the Apocalypse on a lethal mission. The tsunami struck the coastlines of Asia and Africa catching everyone unawares. At least 213,000 people died. The actual total will never be known.