What's With All These Recent Reports of Sheep Walking in a Circle?

Contrary to common belief, sheep are highly intelligent, problem-solving creatures. They are considered intellectually on par with pigs and have an IQ level close to cattle.

Sheep use a wide variety of vocalizations to express a range of emotions. The larger the vocal range essentially suggests a larger vocabulary, which correlates with intelligence.

So, if they’re not dumb enough to mindlessly march in circle like zombies, what the hell is with all these sheep mindlessly marching in circles like zombies? Is it aliens??

Science may have the answer and it’s not pretty. Infection by monocytogenes has been reported to be increasing in incidence and may be as high as 52% in farm animals, but overt clinical disease is considered rare.

Listeriosis, also called Circling Disease or Silage Sickness, is a disease of worldwide occurrence that can affect all ruminants as well as other animal species and humans. It is, therefore, of zoonotic importance.

According to scientific estimates, 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious illnesses in humans and more than 6 out of every 10 recognized infectious diseases in humans may be transmitted from animals.

Listeria infection is a foodborne bacterial illness that can be very serious for pregnant women, people older than 65 and people with weakened immune systems.