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A herd of sheep in China has been walking in a circle for almost two
weeks now, and no one seems to really know why.
The bizarre behavior was captured on surveillance video at a sheep farm
in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region. In a video released on
Wednesday by Chinese state-run news outlet People’s Daily, dozens of
shep can be seen walking clockwise in a large circle, as other animals
stare from outside the circle or at times stand motionless in the middle
of it. Although it has been reported that the sheep appear to be
perfectly healthy, it’s unclear if the animals ever stop to eat and
drink, and if others take their place in the circle when that happens.
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The owner of the sheep farm, identified as Ms. Miao, told reporters that
the bizarre spectacle began on November 4, with just a handful of sheep,
but that in the following days dozens of others joined in.
Interestingly, although the farm consists of 34 sheep pens, only those
in number 13 have been acting strangely.
The video of the sheep walking in circles went viral in China soon after
being shared online by People’s Daily, and several theories about the
bizarre movement have been thrown around since. The most popular theory
is that the sheep are infected with a bacteria that causes a condition
known as listeriosis, or ‘circles disease’.
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According to the Merck Manual, “initially, affected animals are
anorectic, depressed, and disoriented. They may propel themselves into
corners, lean against stationary objects, or circle toward the affected
side”.
However, the above theory has already been disputed, because sheep and
goats suffering from listeriosis generally die within 14 to 48 hours
after exhibiting the first symptoms. The sheep in the viral video have
been at it for 12 days straight, and they seem perfectly healthy.
Although this kind of behavior is considered uncommon, it is not unheard
of. In fact, back in 2018, we covered a similar story of hundreds of
reindeer on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, in the Arctic Circle, walking in
circular patterns for no apparent reason.
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