This objection has been raised by Bible skeptics for years. How is it possible for one man and his sons to travel all over the world collecting every pair of animals in order to save them from the Flood? How did he know anything about them? This is a serious question that requires a thoughtful answer.
First, Noah was not instructed to gather the animals. Noah was only commanded to make an Ark large enough for all animals and then receive them when they arrive. “And every living thing, of all flesh, . . Two of each type shall be brought unto you, to keep them alive” Genesis 6:19-20
Next, we see that the pre-Flood environment and geography was quite different to ours. Scripture gives us clues that there was a global climate. This is confirmed by fossils of warm-weather plants and animals from all over the world. It also indicates that animals weren’t restricted to polar or desert areas. Today’s animals can thrive in many habitats. We believe that the Flood created more resilient animals than ever before and were more adaptable. They didn’t need to be isolated. It is possible that all these areas could have been connected to one continent with no ocean or mountain barriers. These diverse zones were created by the Flood, and they did not exist before.
Third, it was discovered that almost all land animals have the ability to sense danger coming and move to avoid it. There are many stories of animals that exhibited unusual behavior and migrated to safety just hours before the December 2004 Asian tsunami. Large swathes of Mount St. Helens’ elk herd migrated south to safety in the days preceding the May 18, 1980 eruption. This avoided the blast from the north. Although some animals migrate every year, others may not use their migratory instincts for several generations. Many animals will knowingly travel to places where they have never been before, even if their parents are not there. Scientists are right to wonder where these skills came from. These abilities appear to be controlled by many mechanisms. They can operate using the sun, stars, magnetic field, ocean currents, and magnetic imprinting. It is difficult to understand the mechanism of these abilities. But where did they come? It is not possible to be satisfied from a naturalistic source.
However, the Flood story is more than a natural one. It involves supernatural elements. The Creator moved to protect His creation. It might be appropriate to suggest that the Creator instilled in each pair of each “kind” a fear of the Flood and a desire for salvation. All of the other representatives of their species died in the Flood. The chosen pairs were the only ones left, and all remaining representatives descended from them, inheriting the migration instincts and the premonition.
There is no other explanation for these amazing abilities. The Creator doesn’t reveal the details so we don’t know for sure if this explanation is correct. There is at least one plausible explanation. Naturalists have none.