For several days, a surprising video has been doing the rounds on social networks. On the latter, you can see hundreds of sheep circling on a farm in northern China. A very strange behavior, especially since the animals have been walking in the same direction for ten days, forming an almost perfect circle.
China’s state-run People’s Daily, which originally shared the video, said the sheep were completely healthy and such behavior is inexplicable. The farmer, owner of 34 sheepfolds, explained that only the sheep of the 13ᵉ sheepfold are affected by this phenomenon. He added that at first only a few sheep began to walk in a circle before the whole herd joined them.
On social networks, some have tried to explain the behavior of animals. Thus, the hypothesis of a bacterial disease called listeriosis, which is sometimes nicknamed the disease of the circles, has been raised. The latter usually affects ruminants. This virus inflames one side of the brain, which explains the circular movements of the beasts. Nevertheless, this track seems unlikely because in normal times the death of the animal generally occurs within 24 to 48 hours after the onset of symptoms. The mystery remains complete…