NEW YORK – On December 26, 2004, a massive undersea earthquake triggered a tsunami that left 230,000 people across Southeast Asia dead. Almost everyone, both human and animal, was caught off guard, with a notable exception: elephants. In places like Thailand and Sri Lanka, elephants became agitated hours before the waves hit. Wild elephants fled to higher ground, and captive ones defied their handlers, sometimes with tourists still on their backs. Sensing low-frequency vibrations undetectable to most species, they acted on early warning signals – and were far more likely to survive.