How will animals react during the eclipse?

Elephants, flamingos, giraffes and gorillas will share top billing with the darkened sky at Riverbanks Zoo during next month’s solar eclipse.

Zoo officials plan to study 12 types of animals and birds to see if they act differently before, during and after the Aug. 21 eclipse. The effort is intended to show what impact, if any, the temporary mid-afternoon blackout has on some of the zoo’s 2,000 animals.

Little is know about how animals behave during eclipses, zoo officials say.

“It’s an opportunity to do a little bit of science instead of relying on anecdotes,” said Ed Diebold, director of animal collections and conservation at the zoo. “There’s really not very much known about it.”

Material is so rare that “there’s more scientific literature out there on the presence of Sasquatch” than on animals during an eclipse, he said in reference to the folklore creature also known as Bigfoot.

Zoo officials particularly are curious if birds such as tawny frogmouths that are active at night but not during the day will stir significantly during the three-hour event.

Animals won’t be sheltered during the eclipse, mainly because no eye damage is expected as they seldom look at the sun, officials said. “There’s no evidence that’s a problem,” Diebold said.

But people who come to the zoo during the eclipse will be given protective glasses to wear. They also will be invited to observe what the animals do, joining caretakers who will look for any changes up to three days before and after the event.

While zoo officials are planning to study their animals during the eclipse, pet owners and farmers shouldn’t worry, animal experts say.

Horses, cows, sheep and other livestock that normally rest in the shade during summer heat may come out to graze a bit during the midday twilight, said Travis Mitchell, a Clemson University Extension Service agent for Lexington County.

“There’s no danger for them,” he said. “They shouldn’t be affected at all.”

Lexington veterinarian Ginger Macaulay likewise is counseling pet owners not to worry.

Dogs, cats and other pets “are smarter than we are – they don’t look directly at the sun instinctively,” said Macaulay, a member of the South Carolina Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.

The normal body cycles of pets also will tell them it’s not time to bed down for the evening, Macaulay added.

But outdoor birds and insects active at night “may become a little bit disoriented” during the eclipse, she said. It’s likely some will “go into nighttime mode” at what they perceive is the approach of sunset but then become confused when sunlight emerges a few hours later, she said.

Rudy Mancke, naturalist in residence at the University of South Carolina, will be listening to learn if cicadas stop their chatter during the eclipse.

Many behavior changes among animals and insects may be slight, similar to what happens when the sky darkens during storms, he said.

“This will impact human beings more than any other species,” Mancke said. “Light matters so much more to us.”

This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 3:57 PM with the headline "How will animals react during the eclipse?."