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
Is it cold, flu or norovirus? Symptoms explained
The highly contagious norovirus is spreading across Canada, with some symptoms overlapping with other viruses. CTVNews.ca spoke with a health expert to find out how you can tell you have norovirus, the most common form of stomach flu, and what to do if you have it.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Ontario's police watchdog continues probe of high-speed pursuit involving fatal crash
The investigation continues into a collision that killed two grandparents and their infant grandchild during a high-speed police chase on the wrong way of Highway 401 east of Toronto.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Search continues for 'armed man' in Dartmouth, N.S.
Police say they continue to search for an armed man who allegedly threatened people in Dartmouth, N.S.
Swarm of bees delays Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles game in Arizona. An 'MVP' beekeeper came to the rescue
Major League Baseball fans had an unexpected buzz on Tuesday after a swarm of bees delayed the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game for around two hours.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
It's opening day for the $34B Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion
Wednesday marks the official start date of the long-awaited $34-billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project.