There is a Chinese practice used in martial arts called Baguazhang. The practice is often known as "walking the circle" and involves participants performing an exercise where they walk in circles while meditating.
No one knows if the hundreds of sheep found in China walking in a circle for 12 days straight were scholars and students of the Chinese philosophy of Baguazhang, but it's definitely a theory.
A video making waves on Twitter having racked up over five million views, shows a herd of sheep walking in a circle in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region. The most impressive part by far was the fact the sheep walked in a near perfect circle exhibiting laser like focus.
Metro UK spoke to the sheep's owner Ms. Miao who reported to the news outlet the circling started off with only a few sheep before the entire group joined in. Some suspected something could be wrong with the flock, but a Chinese state-run outlet People’s Daily reported the sheep are in fact in perfect health.
Unfortunately, there weren't many other hypotheses circling, but according to Mole Care Farm Vets the sheep's conduct could be linked to spoiled silage which can hinder health.
Watch footage of the sheep making their rounds here:
\u201cThe 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.\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
How do these sheep feel about all of this media coverage?
Sheepish perhaps?
No one has yet spoken to the sheep or gathered their side of the story.
The video starring dozens of sheep has many not knowing how to respond.
From flat out laughter to confusion, these sheep are definitely having a moment.
Some commentors joked about the wise old adage of counting sheep, posting that "if the sheep are this restless maybe they should count people."
\u201c@PDChina if they are restless, they should count people....\ud83d\ude06\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina Things of this world\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina mushrooms possibly?\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina Looking for a shepherd, no doubt.\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina Crop Circles 101\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina @geoffsebesta Maybe some kind of stuck loop behavioral pattern like the "death spiral" ants can sometimes get caught in.\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina I think they\u2019re just havin fun\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina Have they stopped to eat, and drink ?\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina I think it has to do with them sensing frequency changes but from where and why are only some effected \ud83e\udd14\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
\u201c@PDChina Sheep Pilates studio\u201d— People's Daily, China (@People's Daily, China) 1668609856
Just another outlandish yet hilarious oddity we lived through.
Another tale to tell 40 years from now.
Have you ever heard of the great sheep mystery of 2022?
You had to see it to believe it.
