Mystery behind sheep walking in circle in China potentially solved

Even though it is known that sheep have the tendency to mimic the behaviour of others in the flock, the same kind of movement for such a long period of time, that too in a synchronised manner, appeared bizarre.

But the mystery behind the unusual behaviour by the flock of sheep seems to have been solved. Matt Bell, a professor and director at the Department of Agriculture at Hartpury University, in Gloucester, England informed Newsweek, “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 (as to where they can go). This is not good. Then the other sheep join as they are flock animals and bond or join their friends.“

According to People’s Daily report, the sheep had been displaying this behaviour since November 4. However, it is still not known whether they stopped to eat or drink.

According to Metro UK, the sheep owner, Miao, claimed the circle started with a few sheep before the whole flock joined. The sheep in only one of the 34 pens at the spot were moving in a circle.

According to some explanations, the reason behind the unusual movement could be because of a bacterial disease called listeriosis. One of the symptoms of the disease is  known to cause ‘circling’ in animals. However, the disease usually causes death within two days, according to the Newsweek report.