Expert explains mystery of sheep filmed walking in circles non-stop for 16 days

The security camera that is capturing Mongolian, Chinese, some mysterious images in which he observes himself as a flock of sheep moves in a circle at the same time, like a carousel, it was in the news last weekend. And as the days go by, the phenomenon continues without any reason to exist. However, an expert has provided an explanation for the case.

Hundreds of sheep have been walking in circles non-stop for nearly three weeks in the region Mainland Mongoliain northern China, as reported days ago People’s newspaper.

​“It appears that sheep are cooped up for long periods, and this could lead to stereotypical behavior, with repeated rounds. due to the frustration of being in the enclosure and limited,” he said Matt Bell, a professor in the Department of Agriculture at Hartpury University in Gloucester, England, told Newsweek. “Then the other sheep join in, for they are herd animals, and join or join their friends”.

The social behavior of sheep is dominated by herd mentalitywhich controls animal movements and protects individuals from predators by prompting them to flee danger as a group, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual.

The sheep had moved in an almost perfect circle from November 4th It’s unclear if they stopped to eat or drink, or if they were still moving in unison. The latest information available is that at least until Monday the circular motion continued.

The strange behavior, captured by a CCTV camera shows the herd walking in the clockwise in an almost perfect circle.

​In the recordings it is observed how the flock circulates, while some sheep are left out of the rotation and others are motionless in the center of the circle. The most incredible thing, both for the farm owner and for the thousands of users who have already seen the clip, is that the mammals are said to be in perfect health. It has no visible condition beyond its attitude of walking on the same axis .

The People’s Daily reports it the sheep were healthy and that the cause of the strange behavior remains a mystery.

The owner of the herd, identified as Ms Miao, said the show was started by some sheep before the others joined, according to UK portal Metro. Although there are 34 pens in the ranch, only those of the pen number 13 they acted this way.

Other experts, those of the British veterinary company Veterinarians of the Molecare farm, point out that the exact cause of such behavior is not known, but do not rule out that it is the effects of listeriosis, a bacterial disease.

This disease causes swelling on one side of the braincausing animals to walk in circles or suffer from paralysis on the affected side.

Other zoological specialists explain that this mysterious dance is not that rare and this type of behavior can be too a defensive instinct.

In the center of these circles are usually located females and their young then the males crowd around her in large numbers. Between this and the continuous movement they make it difficult for the attackers to attack, who generally give up and go in search of other prey that are easier to devour.