Animals reacted differently to total eclipse at Iceland animal park

CNN contacted Húsdýragarðurinn, an animal park, before Thursday’s total eclipse and asked for a staff member to join its live coverage. Icelandic news outlet mbl.is reported that Helena Gylfadóttir, head of the park’s animal department, spoke to CNN with goats and sheep in the background.

Gylfadóttir said she noticed changes in the animals’ behaviour before the eclipse. The sheep bleated frequently and appeared restless, although heavy rain may also have contributed. They seemed quite confused when it became light again.

The seals were very curious, she said. They looked up at the sky, lay on the shore and appeared to sense that something unusual was happening.

Ducks and geese were somewhat restless, standing up, lying down and walking in circles. However, Gylfadóttir said they were largely unconcerned.

Just before darkness fell, large numbers of birds flew into Húsdýragarðurinn at the same time and settled down for the night.

“It was amazing to watch all the groups of birds arrive and fly over Húsdýragarðurinn and come in. It is naturally down in a valley, and there are many birds down in Laugardalur that seek out the animal park when it gets dark,” Gylfadóttir said.

She added that geese, ducks and other birds gathered in the vegetation and trees around the park, while pigeons and thrushes also arrived in large groups.