There ain’t no sleep with this counting!
Dozens of sheep have been eerily walking around in a circle for 12 days straight in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region.
The bizarre behavior, captured on surveillance video, shows the large flock continuously marching clockwise in a nearly perfect circle on a farm.
Some other sheep can be seen watching from outside the rotation while others at times stand 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 sheep owner, identified as Ms. Miao, claimed the spectacle began with a few sheep before the whole flock joined in, Metro reported. Although there are 34 sheep pens at the farm, only the sheep in one of the pens — number 13 — have been acting this way.
Chinese media said the sheep are healthy, and the cause of the nonstop circling remains a mystery. According to the sheep owner, a few sheep started walking in a circle before others joined in.
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.
Outbreaks typically occur as a result of spoiled or low-quality silage, according to the Merck Manual. In sheep and goats, however, death usually occurs within 24 to 48 hours after symptoms are observed.
Ms. Miao revealed that not all of her sheep are walking in a circle but only the ones which are contained in a pen numbered 13.
Back in 2021, a similar incident occurred in the United Kingdom.
Mystery as sheep spotted standing in bizarre circle pattern ‘like alien ship’https://t.co/dWx5Qnu1HS
— The Sun (@TheSun) April 10, 2021
The Sun reported, Christopher Hogg, of the UK noticed sheep in a formation of a UFO located in a field near the village of Rottingdean.
Hogg also noted, usually, when he passed the sheep they would be noisy but on this particular day, they were quiet and in a trance-like state.
Also, a car got trapped by a huge flock of sheep circling it in Nepal in the middle of a rural road. The bizarre video was captured by Nischal Devkota whilst on holiday in Dolpa, Nepal, on October 1. It started after one of the sheep was startled and began to run around the vehicle in a daze. In doing so, the entire group began running and started madly circling around the silver 4×4.
And again here (unknown):
Are the sheep trying to tell us something?
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