Hundreds of sheep have been walking in circles for 12 days straight in China

Well, China is making headlines yet again!

This time, hundreds of sheep have been strangely walking around in a circle for 12 days straight in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region.

The mysterious sight was captured on surveillance video shared by People's Daily China, shows the massive flock walking endlessly in a clockwise direction, in a nearly perfect circle on a farm.

“The reason for the weird behavior is still a mystery,” the People’s Daily, China said in a tweet, adding that the sheep are perfectly healthy.

The sheep owner, identified as Ms. Miao, claimed the spectacle began with a few sheep before the whole flock joined in. She disclosed, as Metro reported, there are 34 sheep pens at the farm, and that only the sheep in one of the pens — number 13 — have been acting this way.

They had been on the move since November 4, not clear if they stopped to eat or drink.

The great sheep mystery! Hundreds of sheep walk in a circle for over 10 days in N China's Inner Mongolia. The sheep are healthy and the reason for the weird behavior is still a mystery.

Credit People's Daily, China pic.twitter.com/HQi3ZkIJPR

— Domenico (@AvatarDomy) November 17, 2022

What could be the cause?

Although veterinary professionals have not commented on the incident, some have speculated the sheep’s behavior could have been caused by a bacterial disease called Listeriosis — also known as “circling disease.”

"Listeriosis is caused by the contamination of feedstuffs by the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes, which is widely distributed in nature and is found in soil, feedstuffs and faeces from healthy animals," the Farm Health Online explains.

Circling Disease can infect a wide range of animals, causing them to propel themselves into corners, lean against stationary objects, or circle toward the affected side.