Almost 1,500 sheep in Istanbul, Turkey became lemmings and jumped off a cliff, costing 450 of them their lives--- and costing many farmers their livelihood.
What could cause sheep to do this? Has anyone heard of this type of behaviour from sheep before? Any shepherds out there that can give me some intelligent explanation?
The article is quoted below. For a picture of te pile of sheep you need to follow the link.
450 Sheep Jump to Their Deaths in TurkeyPosted by Rachel Ann at July 9, 2005 08:09 PM | TrackBackFri Jul 8, 9:59 PM ET
ISTANBUL, Turkey - First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff, Turkish media reported.
In the end, 450 dead animals lay on top of one another in a billowy white pile, the Aksam newspaper said. Those who jumped later were saved as the pile got higher and the fall more cushioned, Aksam reported.
"There's nothing we can do. They're all wasted," Nevzat Bayhan, a member of one of 26 families whose sheep were grazing together in the herd, was quoted as saying by Aksam.
The estimated loss to families in the town of Gevas, located in Van province in eastern Turkey, tops $100,000, a significant amount of money in a country where average
GDP per head is around $2,700."Every family had an average of 20 sheep," Aksam quoted another villager, Abdullah Hazar as saying. "But now only a few families have sheep left. It's going to be hard for us."
Positively freakish.
Posted by: esther at July 9, 2005 09:20 PMI think it's pretty obvious what happened. One sheep, while grazing in the field, looked up and saw the moon in the sky, barely visible as it was morning. Seeing the moon reminded the sheep that a cow had once jumped over the moon. Not wanting the cow to get all the attention and being very confident in his abilities, the sheep made a running jump in an attempt to jump over the moon. However, we all know the cow only made it because he had a jet pack, and since the sheep didn't, he fell. As he jumped, the sheep yelled, or bleated, if you will, "To the moon!" Upon hearing this, the other sheep saw their companion falling to his death and realized immediately what he was trying to do. Then the rest of the herd, attempting to help their companion to accomplish his goal, all ran off the cliff, one by one, in an attempt to jump over the moon. However, since none of them had jet packs, they all failed. Many of the sheeps didn't have to live with their failure because the fall killed them, but the rest now hangtheir heads in shame. A]The next time they get a chance, they're likely to do it again. So I suggest the herders watch their sheep more closely (or give them jetpacks).
*This has been another oddity from the one known only as "The Agent"*
Posted by: The Agent at July 10, 2005 08:02 AMI think it's pretty obvious what happened. One sheep, while grazing in the field, looked up and saw the moon in the sky, barely visible as it was morning. Seeing the moon reminded the sheep that a cow had once jumped over the moon. Not wanting the cow to get all the attention and being very confident in his abilities, the sheep made a running jump in an attempt to jump over the moon. However, we all know the cow only made it because he had a jet pack, and since the sheep didn't, he fell. As he jumped, the sheep yelled, or bleated, if you will, "To the moon!" Upon hearing this, the other sheep saw their companion falling to his death and realized immediately what he was trying to do. Then the rest of the herd, attempting to help their companion to accomplish his goal, all ran off the cliff, one by one, in an attempt to jump over the moon. However, since none of them had jet packs, they all failed. Many of the sheeps didn't have to live with their failure because the fall killed them, but the rest now hang their heads in shame. The next time they get a chance, they're likely to do it again. So I suggest the herders watch their sheep more closely (or give them jetpacks).
*This has been another oddity from the one known only as "The Agent"*
Posted by: The Agent at July 10, 2005 08:03 AM