Flock of sheep walking in circles for 12 days straight
For the past twelve days, dozens of sheep have marched around in a circle eerilyIn northern China’s Inner Mongolia region.
The bizarre behavior of a large flock of sheep captured on surveillance video, shows the animals marching in a continuous clockwise circle on a farm.
Some other sheep can be seen watching from outside the rotation while others at times standing motionless in the center.
Video of the strange scene was tweeted Wednesday by Chinese state-run outlet People’s Daily, which reported the sheep are perfectly healthy and the cause of the behavior remains a mystery.
The great sheep mystery! Hundreds of sheep walk in a circle for over 10 days in N China's Inner Mongolia. The sheep are healthy and the reason for the weird behavior is still a mystery. pic.twitter.com/8Jg7yOPmGK
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) November 16, 2022
The sheep owner, identified as Ms. Miao, said it started with a few sheep before the whole flock joined in, Metro reported. Although there are 34 pens at the farm for sheep, only those in pen number 13 have been behaving this way.
They’ve been on the move since Nov. 4. It’s unclear whether they stop to eat or drink.
Some have speculated the sheep’s behavior could be caused by a bacterial disease called Listeriosis — also known as “circling disease.”
“Initially, affected animals are anorectic, depressed, and disoriented. They may propel themselves into corners, lean against stationary objects, or circle toward the affected side,” according to the Merck Manual.
