ARE ANIMALS PSYCHIC?
By Jeff Fausch
Introduction
Firstly, what I would like to say is "ANIMALS HAVE NEVER BEEN TOLD THAT GHOSTS EXIST". Animals don't have the same cultural beliefs or issues as humans such as religion, politics, sport or whether the paranormal exists. There are no skeptical animals, nor are there any animals that believe in ghosts. Animals react to what they can see or sense. Whether something is threatening or friendly they will react accordingly. So one could say that animals should be the best observers of the paranormal.
Are Animals Psychic?
There is great debate between devoted pet owners and the scientific community whether animals have psychic abilities or are very sensitive to their environment. There are many stories that are commonly told such as the cat that jumps up on the windowsill everyday just before the owner comes home, the dog that barks just before the telephone rings. The beloved pet that somehow becomes lost on the family trip, miraculously finds its way home, traveling hundreds of kms over along period of time. Animals that can sense storms or earth quakes before they happen.
How are these things possible? Do pets possess that ability that allows them to tune in or understand human actions, their brain waves or even see into the future? Or is it simply that animals are more in tune with their environment than their human masters? Many animals such as dogs and cats can hear much better than humans, hearing frequencies way beyond human listening abilities. Animals, such as dogs, have acute sense of smell, other animals can see into the infrared spectrum or sense electromagnetic fields.
Rupert Sheldrake, Author of "Dogs Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home" believes that animals have abilities that humans may have possessed at one time in the early period of human evolution but somehow lost this ability as the threat to survival has diminished.
Our pets, dogs, cats, horses etc. inherited super-sensitve abilities from their ancestors. In the wild, animals with super-sensitive abilities would have a greater chance of survival than those without. This ability would be useful to give warning to a herd about a predator. Animals having the ability to migrate long distances to find food and water, anticipating an attack from another animal not in sight, animals that have the ability to sense a dangerous place or were to find a safe place.
How are these things possible? Do pets possess that ability that allows them to tune in or understand human actions, their brain waves or even see into the future? Or is it simply that animals are more in tune with their environment than their human masters? Many animals such as dogs and cats can hear much better than humans, hearing frequencies way beyond human listening abilities. Animals, such as dogs, have acute sense of smell, other animals can see into the infrared spectrum or sense electromagnetic fields.
Rupert Sheldrake, Author of "Dogs Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home" believes that animals have abilities that humans may have possessed at one time in the early period of human evolution but somehow lost this ability as the threat to survival has diminished.
Our pets, dogs, cats, horses etc. inherited super-sensitve abilities from their ancestors. In the wild, animals with super-sensitive abilities would have a greater chance of survival than those without. This ability would be useful to give warning to a herd about a predator. Animals having the ability to migrate long distances to find food and water, anticipating an attack from another animal not in sight, animals that have the ability to sense a dangerous place or were to find a safe place.
Working Animals
Animals have been our companions for thousands of years. The human race saw the advantages having some of these animals doing a variety of jobs because of their special abilities. One of the first working animals to come to mind was the dog. Man's best friend originally was used for hunting, herding animals and protection. In recent times they have been used for bomb detection, sniffing out illegal drugs and food, rescue, finding missing people, cancer detection, assisting people with disabilities and, of course, the loyal family pet.
Another animal in this category is the horse, who carried human civilization on its back for thousands of years, until very recently. They have abilities more than just transport. Some horses are used in remote areas to help find missing people,covering large areas of rugged terrain. Their natural awareness of their surroundings will often alert human handlers to the presence of anything unusual. Like some dogs, some horses can be trained to follow a scent. Another job not known by many is that, on occasions, miniature ponies are used as Seeing Eye horses for blind people, similar to Seeing Eye Dogs. Certain breeds of horse also have a special sense called "Cow Sense" that allows them to effectively carry the rider to the right place at the right time to muster livestock.
Pigs can do similar jobs to dogs as they have a much better smell sense than humans. They are used to find the valuable product of truffles, especially in France. Sniffer pigs can detect contraband such as illegal drugs and food.
Other animals to be used by people are dolphins by the Navy (USA) to carry markers to attach mines to ships. Maybe one of the strangest animals to be used is the rat, not as reptile food or laboratory experiments but are being trained to find and identify land mines. They are much lighter than dogs and are less likely set off a land mine. Rats have also been trained to sniff out and identify diseases especially deadly pulmonary tuberculosis.
So what of the pussy cat? They have been domesticated for thousands of years, even worshipped by different civilizations but they have only managed to get the most menial of jobs. They were used as mousers protecting food supplies from rodents and birds. They are very intelligent and highly sensitive to their environment but, as most people who own cats know, they are their own masters - we are there to look after them, not the other way around and they would be too difficult to train.
Pigs can do similar jobs to dogs as they have a much better smell sense than humans. They are used to find the valuable product of truffles, especially in France. Sniffer pigs can detect contraband such as illegal drugs and food.
Other animals to be used by people are dolphins by the Navy (USA) to carry markers to attach mines to ships. Maybe one of the strangest animals to be used is the rat, not as reptile food or laboratory experiments but are being trained to find and identify land mines. They are much lighter than dogs and are less likely set off a land mine. Rats have also been trained to sniff out and identify diseases especially deadly pulmonary tuberculosis.
So what of the pussy cat? They have been domesticated for thousands of years, even worshipped by different civilizations but they have only managed to get the most menial of jobs. They were used as mousers protecting food supplies from rodents and birds. They are very intelligent and highly sensitive to their environment but, as most people who own cats know, they are their own masters - we are there to look after them, not the other way around and they would be too difficult to train.
Ghost Hunting Animals
Paranormal investigators and researchers in recent times have been using animals to assist with paranormal investigating. Paranormal groups take animals, usually dogs (family pet) into haunted locations to assist them in finding paranormal phenomenon.
Of course, there are those who take this to the extreme. I have found a number of websites that claim that you can train your dog to be ghost hunter - they recommend a big tough looking dog such as a Rottweiler or German Shepherd as it is important to have a dog that looks the part - you don't want to be seen with a wimpy dog! They claim if a dog can sniff out contraband they should be able to sniff out a ghost for their master. There are even training classes to train the average dog to tell the difference between a poltergeist and demon. They claim to that you should be able to give the command "Find a ghost" and they will find and point out a ghost for you. I am not sure whether these people are con-artists or actually believe what they are advertising but I am sure there will a few poor people who be paying out good money for this nonsense.
Getting back to the real world, animals can assist with paranormal research but as I stated at the start of this page "Animals have never been told ghosts exist". Whether it is a dog, cat or some other animal, they react to their environment in the same way their ancestors did. If there is a threat or something they do not understand, they will react accordingly. Dogs cannot distinguish between poltergeist or demons as claimed by certain people and groups. This is nonsense, as we have not proven beyond a reasonable doubt what a poltergeist or demon is or whether they actually exist yet. So how do you train a dog to find something that is still in the theory stage?
As with all things paranormal, it is important to work on the side of caution when observing a dog or any other animal. Let's say, for example, a dog is focused or barking at something in the corner of a room - is it a ghost or something quite natural like a rodent hiding in the cavity of the wall? Dogs and cats are highly tuned to their environment, picking up the slightest sound or movement. This can be a problem in old or abandoned buildings where there could be all types of animals living. It is advisable for the observers of the animal to look for a logical explanation first before going down the paranormal road. Look for rodent droppings, scratch marks, rodent damage, listen for any moment in the vicinity where the animal is focused. It is impossible to identify all possible explanations. Any small animal, even an insect, will get the attention from a dog or cat - as most of these animals are very small, the observers will not have the ability to see, hear or sense what the dog or cat is sensing and may misinterpret what the animal is observing.
To give an example of this, back in 2005 I was photographing Yard-4 in the Adelaide Gaol after finishing a ghost tour, when I noticed Doc, the Gaol cat, acting in a strange manner. He was crawling along in a crouched position looking into the air as if being attacked. I could not see anything, except for the cat acting in a disturbed way. So I took a number of photos of the cat and, to my surprise, I could see what caused Doc to act in such a strange manner - he was being swooped by a bat. The bat was invisible to me in the dark yard, giving the impression of the cat being attacked by an invisible force. If I had not taken the photos, I would have misinterpreted the cat's actions.
Of course, there are those who take this to the extreme. I have found a number of websites that claim that you can train your dog to be ghost hunter - they recommend a big tough looking dog such as a Rottweiler or German Shepherd as it is important to have a dog that looks the part - you don't want to be seen with a wimpy dog! They claim if a dog can sniff out contraband they should be able to sniff out a ghost for their master. There are even training classes to train the average dog to tell the difference between a poltergeist and demon. They claim to that you should be able to give the command "Find a ghost" and they will find and point out a ghost for you. I am not sure whether these people are con-artists or actually believe what they are advertising but I am sure there will a few poor people who be paying out good money for this nonsense.
Getting back to the real world, animals can assist with paranormal research but as I stated at the start of this page "Animals have never been told ghosts exist". Whether it is a dog, cat or some other animal, they react to their environment in the same way their ancestors did. If there is a threat or something they do not understand, they will react accordingly. Dogs cannot distinguish between poltergeist or demons as claimed by certain people and groups. This is nonsense, as we have not proven beyond a reasonable doubt what a poltergeist or demon is or whether they actually exist yet. So how do you train a dog to find something that is still in the theory stage?
As with all things paranormal, it is important to work on the side of caution when observing a dog or any other animal. Let's say, for example, a dog is focused or barking at something in the corner of a room - is it a ghost or something quite natural like a rodent hiding in the cavity of the wall? Dogs and cats are highly tuned to their environment, picking up the slightest sound or movement. This can be a problem in old or abandoned buildings where there could be all types of animals living. It is advisable for the observers of the animal to look for a logical explanation first before going down the paranormal road. Look for rodent droppings, scratch marks, rodent damage, listen for any moment in the vicinity where the animal is focused. It is impossible to identify all possible explanations. Any small animal, even an insect, will get the attention from a dog or cat - as most of these animals are very small, the observers will not have the ability to see, hear or sense what the dog or cat is sensing and may misinterpret what the animal is observing.
To give an example of this, back in 2005 I was photographing Yard-4 in the Adelaide Gaol after finishing a ghost tour, when I noticed Doc, the Gaol cat, acting in a strange manner. He was crawling along in a crouched position looking into the air as if being attacked. I could not see anything, except for the cat acting in a disturbed way. So I took a number of photos of the cat and, to my surprise, I could see what caused Doc to act in such a strange manner - he was being swooped by a bat. The bat was invisible to me in the dark yard, giving the impression of the cat being attacked by an invisible force. If I had not taken the photos, I would have misinterpreted the cat's actions.
Photo 1 - Cat watching the bat as it prepared to swoop the cat again.
Photo 2 - A closer view of the bat that was swooping the cat.
(Photos taken on a Kodac Dx4900...4 mega pixel camera, Source Jeff Fausch 2005)
Photo 2 - A closer view of the bat that was swooping the cat.
(Photos taken on a Kodac Dx4900...4 mega pixel camera, Source Jeff Fausch 2005)
The observer should be alert to the animal's action - if it is focused on a particular area, check it for the local wildlife. But if the animal's behavior changes suddenly, take more notice. If the animal is content one minute and anxious or terrified the next, take even more notice as something would have changed dramatically within the animals environment. This would indicate that something unusual could be taking place, of course one can't say that it is of a paranormal nature but should be investigated further.
Personal Observations
IZZY THE LABRADOR'S EXPERIENCE AT THE ADELAIDE GAOL
On the 3rd July, 2010, at approximately 1.30pm, I arrived at the Adelaide Gaol to set up for a Paranormal Workshop that I was conducting that evening. I brought along a golden Labrador named Izzy who I was looking after for friends. I was setting up the video and audio equipment in the Clothing Store in Yard-3 while Izzy had a wander around the Gaol. Roughly 10 or 15 minutes later, I called Izzy to return but she didn't come when I called. I looked for her everywhere within the Gaol but there was no sign of her. Over 30 minutes passed and by that stage I was very concerned that she may have been trapped or injured herself. As I walked into the Sally Port, I heard a whimpering sound. I looked through the glass of the locked door that led into the main hallway of the Administration building and saw Izzy pacing up and down the hallway, whimpering and howling, stopping occasionally to look up the narrow staircase that led to the top floor. This took me by total surprise - to find Izzy so terrified in a hallway that I had dead-locked when I first arrived for security reasons. I was the only person in the Gaol and had the keys on my person. I could not find any logical reason for how Izzy could have become locked in the hallway. So the impossible had happened, Izzy had wandered into the Sally Port, somehow the dead-locked hallway door unlocked itself, Izzy was enticed into the hallway, the door then closed and relocked itself without a key. It was another hour before the next person arrived at the Gaol. No explanation could be found how Izzy become locked in a hallway but this is only half of the story, as poor Izzy was to have have another encounter during the night.
Just before the commencement of the investigation that night, I put Izzy in the AGPS office (Adelaide Gaol Preservation Society) for the night. I wasn't really thinking at the time, as the office was in the same hallway that Izzy mysteriously became locked in earlier that afternoon. Within minutes of being left in the office, she began howling and barking, one of the volunteers helping on the night went and checked on Izzy and found her in a distressed state and pacing up and down and the hallway. He stayed with her for short time trying to comfort her, before returning to his group. A little later I went to check on Izzy. She was still pacing up and down the hallway periodically, looking up the narrow staircase. I took her into the AGPS office and attempted to comfort her. As I was attempting to comfort her near the entrance of the office, a dark figure moved down the hallway at walking pace, past the entrance of the office we were in, disappearing into the hallway exit door. Not only did I see the figure, Izzy saw the same figure, reacting in a extreme manner and, in an absolute panic, ran straight into a nearby desk, nearly knocking herself out. I had to rush her outside as she nearly wet herself in absolute fear. After the incident, she joined me for the rest of the night and became a part of the investigation. Even the next morning, Izzy would not enter the hallway.
It should be mentioned that Izzy is a laid back eight year old golden Labrador, her behavior on the night was totally out of character for her. Izzy was a calm and relaxed dog for the remainder of the night as long as she did not go near the hallway.
GUIDE DOG TERROR:
On a Christmas Spirit Ghost Tour at the Adelaide Gaol in December 2010, two of the guests were dog trainers for the Blind Welfare. They brought along a 13 month old black labrador for a training exercise. The dog was nearing to the end of its training, with only a couple of months left. The dog trainers wanted to bring the dog along to a night activity and, of course, they came along for the ghost tour. When they arrived at the Gaol with the dog, it was very well behaved during the supper behaving in a proper manner for a dog in training.
There were two tour groups on the night, the labrador and its trainers joined the tour that began in the New Building (A-Block, T-shaped two level building were 21 men were hanged). As soon as the tour group entered the New Building, the labrador's behavior changed dramatically from a well trained, soon to become a guide dog, to a dog that was virtually out of control. The dog was unresponsive to its trainers, the dog appeared to be terrified, barking out of control running around in circles to the stage were the two trainers were forced to remove the dog from the building. They were unable to bring the dog back in the building as there appeared to be something in the building that terrified the dog. For the remainder of the tour, the dog appeared a bit restless, pulling on its lead, but was controllable.
When asked, the trainers had no explanation for the dogs behavior nor have they ever seen a dog in training act in such a manner. They said it would not affect the dogs final assessment as it was not an official exercise. But they were concerned that there was something in the New Building, that no one sensed, that terrified a trained dog to the stage where it had completely lost control.
There are other reports of dogs and cats acting in a strange manner while in the New Building.
The New Building is considered one of the most active parts of the Adelaide Gaol were 21 men were hanged between 1894 and 1950. The New Building also housed the violent and problematic prisoners. There were many bashings and suicides during its many years of service.
On the 3rd July, 2010, at approximately 1.30pm, I arrived at the Adelaide Gaol to set up for a Paranormal Workshop that I was conducting that evening. I brought along a golden Labrador named Izzy who I was looking after for friends. I was setting up the video and audio equipment in the Clothing Store in Yard-3 while Izzy had a wander around the Gaol. Roughly 10 or 15 minutes later, I called Izzy to return but she didn't come when I called. I looked for her everywhere within the Gaol but there was no sign of her. Over 30 minutes passed and by that stage I was very concerned that she may have been trapped or injured herself. As I walked into the Sally Port, I heard a whimpering sound. I looked through the glass of the locked door that led into the main hallway of the Administration building and saw Izzy pacing up and down the hallway, whimpering and howling, stopping occasionally to look up the narrow staircase that led to the top floor. This took me by total surprise - to find Izzy so terrified in a hallway that I had dead-locked when I first arrived for security reasons. I was the only person in the Gaol and had the keys on my person. I could not find any logical reason for how Izzy could have become locked in the hallway. So the impossible had happened, Izzy had wandered into the Sally Port, somehow the dead-locked hallway door unlocked itself, Izzy was enticed into the hallway, the door then closed and relocked itself without a key. It was another hour before the next person arrived at the Gaol. No explanation could be found how Izzy become locked in a hallway but this is only half of the story, as poor Izzy was to have have another encounter during the night.
Just before the commencement of the investigation that night, I put Izzy in the AGPS office (Adelaide Gaol Preservation Society) for the night. I wasn't really thinking at the time, as the office was in the same hallway that Izzy mysteriously became locked in earlier that afternoon. Within minutes of being left in the office, she began howling and barking, one of the volunteers helping on the night went and checked on Izzy and found her in a distressed state and pacing up and down and the hallway. He stayed with her for short time trying to comfort her, before returning to his group. A little later I went to check on Izzy. She was still pacing up and down the hallway periodically, looking up the narrow staircase. I took her into the AGPS office and attempted to comfort her. As I was attempting to comfort her near the entrance of the office, a dark figure moved down the hallway at walking pace, past the entrance of the office we were in, disappearing into the hallway exit door. Not only did I see the figure, Izzy saw the same figure, reacting in a extreme manner and, in an absolute panic, ran straight into a nearby desk, nearly knocking herself out. I had to rush her outside as she nearly wet herself in absolute fear. After the incident, she joined me for the rest of the night and became a part of the investigation. Even the next morning, Izzy would not enter the hallway.
It should be mentioned that Izzy is a laid back eight year old golden Labrador, her behavior on the night was totally out of character for her. Izzy was a calm and relaxed dog for the remainder of the night as long as she did not go near the hallway.
GUIDE DOG TERROR:
On a Christmas Spirit Ghost Tour at the Adelaide Gaol in December 2010, two of the guests were dog trainers for the Blind Welfare. They brought along a 13 month old black labrador for a training exercise. The dog was nearing to the end of its training, with only a couple of months left. The dog trainers wanted to bring the dog along to a night activity and, of course, they came along for the ghost tour. When they arrived at the Gaol with the dog, it was very well behaved during the supper behaving in a proper manner for a dog in training.
There were two tour groups on the night, the labrador and its trainers joined the tour that began in the New Building (A-Block, T-shaped two level building were 21 men were hanged). As soon as the tour group entered the New Building, the labrador's behavior changed dramatically from a well trained, soon to become a guide dog, to a dog that was virtually out of control. The dog was unresponsive to its trainers, the dog appeared to be terrified, barking out of control running around in circles to the stage were the two trainers were forced to remove the dog from the building. They were unable to bring the dog back in the building as there appeared to be something in the building that terrified the dog. For the remainder of the tour, the dog appeared a bit restless, pulling on its lead, but was controllable.
When asked, the trainers had no explanation for the dogs behavior nor have they ever seen a dog in training act in such a manner. They said it would not affect the dogs final assessment as it was not an official exercise. But they were concerned that there was something in the New Building, that no one sensed, that terrified a trained dog to the stage where it had completely lost control.
There are other reports of dogs and cats acting in a strange manner while in the New Building.
The New Building is considered one of the most active parts of the Adelaide Gaol were 21 men were hanged between 1894 and 1950. The New Building also housed the violent and problematic prisoners. There were many bashings and suicides during its many years of service.
Taking my dog into a Haunted location
In April 2001, I was invited back to Hindmarsh Church and Rectory which had a reputation for being haunted. A paranormal investigative team had been investigating the location for a number of months and had invited a writer/researcher, a clairvoyant and myself to visit the location in the early afternoon. I asked the team leader if I could bring along my dog, as I was curious how he would react in an alleged haunted location. I decided to bring my second dog, Wilbur, an 11 year old Labrador Kelpie cross. He was a well behaved dog although timid in unfamiliar locations. Sadly, he passed away in 2005, aged 15 years.
Strangely, the first thing Wilbur did when he entered the rectory, was to lift his leg and urinate on the fire place in the living room. This was a surprise to me and a little embarrassing as he had never urinated inside a house before. The lead investigator found it interesting as this was the same area were they picked up a high EMF reading earlier.
As the investigators followed the clairvoyant, I followed Wilbur around to observe his behavior. He was content going through most of the rooms in the old rectory but there were a couple of areas he did not appear to like. He would not go down to the stairs into the cellar. I thought it was due to the steep stairs, even when I picked him up to carry him down to the cellar, he still did not want to go. But I did find it interesting that Wilbur had no problems walking down the very steep stone stairs that went down to the sunken back yard.
Another area Wilbur reacted to was the back bedroom overlooking the sunken garden. When he entered the bedroom, his behavior changed dramatically from a curious, happy dog to sad within seconds. His tail went between his legs, he pushed against me and started whimpering. He slowly moved towards the window over looking the sunken garden, stood up on his hind legs and looked out the window still whimpering. This action by Wilbur I found interesting as the clairvoyant had entered the bedroom earlier, walked over to the window, looking over the sunken garden and said the room felt sad.
I walked Wilbur in and out the bedroom a number of times, every time he entered the room the tail went between his legs and he started whimpering and would not enter the room on his own. Wilbur would enter all the other rooms freely but would would move quickly past the back bedroom.
The last area of interest was the front gate to the rectory when we were leaving, he would not go through the gate, he would hold his ground, even when I pulled his lead, focusing on something to the left side of the gate. When I finally got him to move, he ran through the gate and appeared to dodge something on the way through.
What happened at the rectory of course is open to speculation and interpretation. But there where areas were Wilbur reacted strongly too, especially in the back bedroom. He reacted strongly to the room and appeared to affect him emotionally. What I found interesting was the way both Wilbur and the clairvoyant looked out the back bedroom window showing deep emotion. It could be just a coincidence but it certainly makes one think.
This was the only time I used any of my dogs on an investigation, sadly Wilbur became very ill a few months later and was unable to join me on any more investigations.
Strangely, the first thing Wilbur did when he entered the rectory, was to lift his leg and urinate on the fire place in the living room. This was a surprise to me and a little embarrassing as he had never urinated inside a house before. The lead investigator found it interesting as this was the same area were they picked up a high EMF reading earlier.
As the investigators followed the clairvoyant, I followed Wilbur around to observe his behavior. He was content going through most of the rooms in the old rectory but there were a couple of areas he did not appear to like. He would not go down to the stairs into the cellar. I thought it was due to the steep stairs, even when I picked him up to carry him down to the cellar, he still did not want to go. But I did find it interesting that Wilbur had no problems walking down the very steep stone stairs that went down to the sunken back yard.
Another area Wilbur reacted to was the back bedroom overlooking the sunken garden. When he entered the bedroom, his behavior changed dramatically from a curious, happy dog to sad within seconds. His tail went between his legs, he pushed against me and started whimpering. He slowly moved towards the window over looking the sunken garden, stood up on his hind legs and looked out the window still whimpering. This action by Wilbur I found interesting as the clairvoyant had entered the bedroom earlier, walked over to the window, looking over the sunken garden and said the room felt sad.
I walked Wilbur in and out the bedroom a number of times, every time he entered the room the tail went between his legs and he started whimpering and would not enter the room on his own. Wilbur would enter all the other rooms freely but would would move quickly past the back bedroom.
The last area of interest was the front gate to the rectory when we were leaving, he would not go through the gate, he would hold his ground, even when I pulled his lead, focusing on something to the left side of the gate. When I finally got him to move, he ran through the gate and appeared to dodge something on the way through.
What happened at the rectory of course is open to speculation and interpretation. But there where areas were Wilbur reacted strongly too, especially in the back bedroom. He reacted strongly to the room and appeared to affect him emotionally. What I found interesting was the way both Wilbur and the clairvoyant looked out the back bedroom window showing deep emotion. It could be just a coincidence but it certainly makes one think.
This was the only time I used any of my dogs on an investigation, sadly Wilbur became very ill a few months later and was unable to join me on any more investigations.
Summary
The debate on whether animals can sense the paranormal will continue on as long as there are people who believe in the paranormal and those who don't. What we do know is that animals are very sensitive to their environment and the anecdotal evidence indicates that animals may indeed sense the paranormal, through natural super sensitive abilities passed on from their ancient ancestors.
ANIMALS CAN'T FAKE A SITUATION , PEOPLE MISINTERPRET THE SITUATION
ANIMALS CAN'T FAKE A SITUATION , PEOPLE MISINTERPRET THE SITUATION