The puzzle of sheep walking in circles for 12 days can be solved

A scientist said there is a possible explanation for the strange phenomenon of a huge flock of sheep caught on video walking in circles for 12 days in a row in China. The video, posted on Twitter by China’s state-run People’s Daily newspaper last week, shows dozens of animals roaming a farm in China’s remote Mongolia region.

A flock of sheep walks in a circle for 12 consecutive days. “It’s a sign of the end of the world.”

Sheep run in circles, expert opinion

The tweet accompanying the creepy footage assured viewers that the sheep were healthy. An expert now suggests that there may also be a very natural reason behind the animals’ sudden behavior. Matt Bell, professor in the Department of Agriculture at the University of Hartbury Gloucester, England, said b Newsweek . “Then the other sheep join in, because they are pack animals, and they bond or join their friends.”

Watch 🚨 Hundreds of sheep run in a circle for more than 10 days in Inner Mongolia, China pic.twitter.com/kaNoneQLrz

– Inside Papers (TheInsiderPaper) November 18, 2022

The social behavior of sheep is dominated by a herd mentality, which controls the animals’ movements and protects individuals from predators by prompting them to flee from danger as a group, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. The sheep have been moving in an almost complete circle since November 4th. It is unclear if they have stopped eating or drinking or if they are still moving in unison as of Monday.

The owner of the sheep farm, who goes by the name of Mrs. Miao, said that the ghost sheep ride started with only a few animals before the rest of the flock joined. Although there are 34 sheep pens on the farm, only sheep in one of the pens – no. 13- Act this way.

listeriosis

Some have speculated that the sheep’s behavior could also be caused by a bacterial disease called listeriosis, also known as “ring disease.” Which can be transmitted through contaminated food, soil, or animal feces. It causes a wide range of symptoms, including depression, loss of appetite, fever, partial paralysis, and cyclical behavior. Listeriosis usually kills infected animals within 48 hours, so it doesn’t explain how sheep in China continued to walk in circles for 12 days.