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regular-article-logo Thursday, 10 July 2025

Himachal dog senses disaster before it strikes, saves entire village from landslide

As monsoon mayhem buries homes and hope in Mandi, one dog's timely alarm averts mass tragedy

Our Web Desk Published 08.07.25, 02:11 PM
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In the dead of night, as rain hammered the Himalayan foothills and thunder cracked across the sky, a mountain dog in Himachal Pradesh did something extraordinary.

It barked. Loud. Relentless. Unignorable.

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That bark echoed through the darkness in Siyathi village of Mandi district and jolted a sleeping homeowner awake.

Moments later, as cracks split open his wall and floodwater began to seep in, he realised what the dog had smelled and sensed before any human could: the mountain was shifting.

Narendra, the homeowner, rushed downstairs with the dog and began waking neighbours. Within minutes, 67 villagers from 20 families had scrambled out into the dark, leaving everything behind.

Shortly after, the hillside collapsed, flattening nearly a dozen homes. Only a handful of structures remain visible today. The rest lie buried under tonnes of debris.

For the past week, the survivors have taken refuge at the Naina Devi temple in Triyambala, a few kilometres away, NDTV reported.

Many villagers are now reportedly suffering from high blood pressure and anxiety following the traumatic escape. Local residents from surrounding areas have extended help, and the state government has announced Rs 10,000 in aid per affected family.

Dogs as natural alarms in the mountains

The heroic bark that saved Siyathi is no one-off miracle. In high-altitude terrains across the Himalayas, particularly in border regions like Jammu and Kashmir’s Gulmarg, dogs have long served as informal sentinels.

Stray or semi-domesticated, these mountain canines are a familiar sight near army posts and village homes. For jawans patrolling the line of control, they’re more than companions: they’re part of a time-tested, low-tech early warning system.

Scientific literature backs these anecdotes. Studies have shown that dogs can detect subtle shifts in air pressure, vibration and sound frequencies beyond human perception.

Some behavioural researchers suggest canines may even sense electromagnetic changes or the low-frequency rumble of landslides and earthquakes seconds before they occur, getting enough time to alert those nearby.

In one notable study by Kyoto University, researchers found that dogs exhibited “significant anxiety behaviour” ahead of seismic events, a phenomenon well-documented in earthquake-prone Japan.

Whether by instinct, sensitivity or sheer bond with their human companions, dogs in hill regions have often played a role that goes far beyond loyalty.

Monsoon toll mounts in Himachal

The dramatic rescue in Siyathi is part of a much wider crisis unfolding across Himachal Pradesh. Since the onset of monsoon on June 20, the state has recorded 78 deaths, with 50 directly attributed to rain-induced disasters such as landslides, flash floods and cloudbursts.

Road accidents linked to poor visibility and slick highways have claimed 28 more.

Mandi district, the hardest hit, is practically severed from parts of the state. Of the 280 roads currently closed due to rain damage, 156 are in Mandi alone. The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) reports 23 flash floods, 19 cloudbursts, and 16 landslides so far this season.

On Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued flash flood alerts across 10 districts, warning of continuing heavy rainfall and waterlogging.

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