In Northern China, in a desolate corner of Inner Mongolia, the People’s Daily, China’s state-run news agency, has reported a strange and mysterious phenomenon. What could it be, you ask? An invasion of space aliens? Are the dead coming back to life? Are Iphone 14’s on sale for half price? No, the baffling occurrence that has the whole world holding its breath is that there are a bunch of sheep walking in a circle. Yeah, I know—amazing! And…they’ve been doing it for 12 days.
The People’s Daily even posted a video on Twitter of the sheep walking around and around in a perfect circle. The video was shot at night in infrared so the white sheep kind of glow and look even more creepy and mysterious. The sheep are the property of a Ms. Miao, who owns 34 sheep pens and—promise you’re not going to completely freak out—the only sheep walking in a circle are from PEN 13! (Sort of makes your blood run cold, doesn’t it?)
To be honest, not all the sheep in Pen 13 are participating in the mass circumambulation. Some of the other sheep are just loitering off to one side, watching the procession with, what one might describe as a kind of bored detachment. Or maybe they became mesmerized, watching their friends go round and round. Or maybe they fell asleep standing up. And when you think about it, what could be more relaxing than watching sheep walk in circles? It would be the ideal antidote for insomnia. The traditional method of inducing sleep by imagining sheep leaping over a wooden fence is much too exciting. But sheep endlessly walking in a circle makes me sleepy just thinking about it.
But what could possibly make these sheep walk in circles? All over the world, shepherds and sheep scientists are wracking their brains to account for this mystery. One theory is that Flock 13 contracted Listeria monoctytogenes, known as the “circling disease”, occurring as a result of eating rotting vegetable matter contaminated with the bacteria. This neurological disease typically affects just one side of the brain, paralyzing one side of the face and tilting the head to one side, causing the sheep to walking in a circle. The disease generally affects only about 10 percent of the flock and often results in death between one and two days. However, Ms. Miao insists her circling sheep are not sick. Well, they’re probably dizzy by now. Hungry and tired after 12 days of this, but otherwise healthy.
Another theory is that the sheep are experiencing “stereotypical pacing” from being shut up in their pen too long. Matt Bell, director of the Department of Agriculture at Hartpury University in England told Newsweek the circling behavior is part of the sheep’s “hive mind”. Research shows this might not simply be a matter of following the leader, but is actually more democratic. (And before somebody says, no, it’s more Republican—just stop, okay? We’re not going there.)
The answer to the circling sheep may well be that they are simply bored from being cooped up in their pen. So, as the winter months drag on, you might keep an eye on your kids. Are they starting to walk in circles around the TV? I’m just saying.