Animals in a northeast China zoo are helping officials predict earthquakes.

　　The Anshan Zoo, named after the city where it is located, in Liaoning Province, was brought into the city's seismological macro-observation network this week.

　　"About one week before an earthquake happens, animals' behaviors would become obviously abnormal," said Xu Jing, deputy chief engineer of the city's seismological bureau. The more abnormal the animals act, the stronger the earthquake would probably be.

　　The zoo keepers were given a new mission: report to the seismological bureau whenever they find the animals acting strangely.

　　Together with the micro-monitoring result done with instruments, the local seismological administration believes that its earthquake forecasting would become more accurate.

　　It is believed that more than 100 kinds of animals can "predict " earthquakes, including horses, donkeys, pigs, cattle, dogs, cats and chickens. Some are restless, some are dazed and some change their habits.

　　China, located between the circum-Pacific seismic belt and the belt ranging from the Mediterranean to the Himalayas, experiences the most earthquakes in the world.

　　Liaoning province has reported three earthquakes measuring above 5.0 on the Richter scale since 1970. It has succeeded in forecasting one earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale which hit Yingkou and Haicheng on February 4, 1975.

　　(Xinhua)