With all the videos going viral, we can’t help but be drawn to those who are funny, informative, scary, and those that we can’t explain.
In early November, one footage went viral for its bizarre content.
Many people were stunned to see a flock of sheep going in circles, following each other in one big loop.
What made it weird is that they all did this for 14 days straight.
There was footage showing how the flock of sheep continue to do this even at night, without breaking the circle.
Anyone who has seen the videos felt creeped out, some, even scared.
You might even it’s part of the popular X-Files series a few years back.
For days, they captured the flock of sheep in Inner Mongolia in North China on film, walking around in a circle for almost two weeks.
As the video went viral, it baffled even experts as they came across the video.
What could have caused this?
Ms. Miao, the sheep’s owner, assured her flock was healthy and claimed that the event started with a few sheep just before the entire group joined.
In one clip, you could also see several sheep to be standing still while maintaining the circle.
She also said that her flock of sheep started doing this last November 4 and that she has 34 sheep pens at that spot, but only the flock of sheep from pen number 13 performed the bizarre behaviors.
Many speculations started spreading as the video went viral.
Some people said that it was a sign that we need to see, while others believe that the end is near.
Since then, the experts studied the video and found two possible reasons for the flock’s bizarre behavior.
Newsweek shared one of the first potential explanations. They interviewed Matt Bell, a well-known professor, and director at the Department of Agriculture at Hartpury University, in Gloucester, England.
“It looks like the sheep are in the pen for long periods, and this might lead to stereotypic behavior, with the repeated circling due to frustration about being in the pen and limited [where they can go]. This is not good. Then the other sheep join as they are flock animals and bond or join their friends,” Bell explained.
The other cause, according to the many people who saw the footage said that it was a form of a bacterial disease called Listeriosis or “circling disease.”
The disease Listeriosis is quite common and is caused by a bacterium found in the gut of a seemingly healthy sheep.
It can survive and multiply in favorable conditions such as rotting vegetable matter. We can also find them in soil, water, and even in spoiled silage.
They can survive for up to five years.
Symptoms could include depression, fever, loss of appetite, partial paralysis, head tilt, and the one we see in the clip, which is the circling behavior.
Though there’s one issue in this theory, any sheep or goat with Listeriosis could die within 4 – 48 hours.
So why did this flock of sheep continue to circle around the pen for 14 long days?
What do you think causes this bizarre behavior?
Watch the clip below and don’t forget to share.
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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
