Here's how solar eclipses affect animals
With a solar eclipse just around the corner, there has been a lot of buzz about protecting your eyes from the sun's rays, but what about our fur-friends?
During a solar eclipse, winds calm, the temperature dips and it quickly turns to night. In that moment, animals can exhibit unusual behaviour.
Birds may hide away and cease singing their songs. Dogs and cats might behave differently too, sensing something is amiss.
"I don't know that it will bother the dog at all, but he might get a little bit agitated, a little unsettled," said Martha Mansel while playing with her family dog, Bender, at the park. "They do sense changes in the environment for sure and they can indicate to us through their behaviour what that impact is. We don't get eclipses very often, so there's not a lot of information stored that I could refer to."
Dr. Mary Thompson, from the Ottawa Humane Society advises pet owners to be vigilant, as changes can be challenging for some pets, leading to increased anxiety. But it’s not just the eclipse itself that can affect pets, human behaviour plays a significant role as well.
"It's probably just if the owner is changing their routine, if you're travelling somewhere where you're not sure if it's going to be really busy or what the traffic is going to be like," said Dr. Thompson.
Thompson notes that eclipse viewing locations could be crowded.
"Be aware they could feel a little bit more stressed. They might not be acting quite their normal selves more just sort of from all these things going on. Just make sure that you've got a nice collar maybe a harness and that they're all identified with either a tag or a microchip. Keep a good eye on them and your surroundings and see what's going on,” Thompson added.
Although a solar eclipse could have animals acting strange, many experts say, one thing your pet does not need is protective eyewear, animals already know to not stare at the sun.
Herd animals, like horses are no different.
"Horses are prey animals and they always have to be ready to run if there's something threatening," said Emily Bertrand, CEO of Royale Equestrian Centre in Barrhaven. "If we have a really bright sunny day and suddenly it gets dark, it's going to take longer for their eyes to adjust to that lighting change, up to 45 minutes. Of course we're going to keep a really close eye on them because we love our horses and we're just going to try to make sure that they're happy, comfortable and relaxed."
No Cause for Alarm
Despite potential changes in behaviour, CTV's science and technology specialist, Dan Riskin says there's no need to worry about animals becoming confused or endangered during a solar eclipse.
"I’m not concerned about the safety of anybody's pets in terms of the eclipse, but it's going to be interesting to pay attention to see how they respond. I mean it's really no worse than turning the lights off for three minutes in your house and then turning them back on, which I think most people’s pets can handle," said Riskin.
"But one thing nobody's really worried is going to happen is that this is going to harm the animals in any way there's no real danger that the animals are suddenly going to be so confused by the eclipse that they are going to die of a heart attack. I don't think that's on anybody's radar."
CTV News Ottawa will have special live coverage of Monday's solar eclipse.
Watch CTVNewsOttawa.ca from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on April 8. You can also tune in to Newstalk 580 CFRA for continuing coverage.
CTV News will have coverage from Kingston, Brockville, Ottawa and the Niagara Region.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.