The sheep go in an almost perfect circle – Photo: TWITTER
The video was published People’s Daily (People’s Daily) Posted on Twitter on November 17, dozens of sheep continuously followed one another in a non-stop circle for more than 12 days at a farm in Inner Mongolia, China.
The newspaper said the sheep were completely healthy. Experts also believe that the strange, bewildering behavior of the sheep can completely stem from natural causes.
“It looks like the sheep have been kept in the barn for too long, causing inhibition, causing them to act in a stereotypical way by moving in a circular motion,” said Matt Bell, a professor in the department of agriculture. , the University of Hartpury in Gloucester, UK, said.
“Because sheep live in herds, more and more sheep are mimicking this behavior due to their bonding and engaging nature,” he further explains.
According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, sheep behavior is governed by herd mentality, which helps sheep move and flee from predators.
The mystery of the sheep in China moving in circles – Source: People’s Daily
The sheep in the video above have been circling in a perfect circle since November 4. It is unclear if they stopped to eat or if they have stopped moving strangely at this point.
According to the newspaper Metro (England), the owner of the sheep – Ms. Miao said that initially this phenomenon only happened with a few sheep, then spread to dozens of sheep.
The farm has a total of 34 sheep stables, but none of them have the same phenomenon, except for barn number 13.
Previously, one expert speculated that this behavior in sheep could be Listeriosis (also known as “circle disease”) caused by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.
The bacteria can be transmitted through contaminated food, soil, or faeces, causing a range of symptoms including depression, loss of appetite, fever, partial paralysis, and circular movements.
Listeriosis usually causes the death of infected animals within 48 hours, so this should not be the cause of the more than 12 consecutive days of movement of the sheep in China mentioned above.
