PANDAN, Philippines — Things got pretty batty — and eerie — in the Philippines ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Tino. The storm, which struck the nation earlier this week, caused widespread devastation, with a death toll so far of 188, according to the Philippine News Agency.
In the tense calm on Nov. 2 ahead of landfall, a strange and mysterious scene unfolded in the city of Pandan, in the province of Antique: a multitude of bats flew and circled over the city. It was a curiosity for some, a cause for consternation for others.
"Praying for the safety of everyone," wrote one person on the original Facebook post about the bats, including a video uploaded by a resident of Pandan.
The people in the video seem to take things in stride, while The Weather Channel, which reposted the video, said the occurrence may have a less-than-supernatural explanation.
"Researchers have found bats will take advantage of storm winds to migrate," according to the weather outlet. "Or maybe these guys just knew it was time to get out of Dodge."
One person posting on The Weather Channel echoed the "get out of Dodge" sentiment. "When birds show up like that ... that's a warning, you should start evacuating," she wrote.
Iloilo Metropolitan Times, a Philippine media outlet, posted photos from another Pandan resident of the occurrence.
"Flocks of giant bats were seen flying erratically over Pandan, Antique, around noon today, drawing curiosity and concern from residents as Typhoon Tino moves closer to the Visayas," reads the post from Nov. 3. "Local resident Loida Dequitos captured photos of the bats appearing restless and disoriented, possibly reacting to the intensifying weather conditions."
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