If you've ever had trouble sleeping,
you probably try counting sheep.
But there's one flock of sheep that
might just keep you up at night, and it's
putting the "ewe" in UFO.
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): April 2021, East Sussex, England.
University lecturer Chris Hogg is going
on his usual morning bike ride.
What Chris doesn't know is that this bike ride is going
to turn into a real head trip.
I'm getting closer and closer to what
I suddenly realize is sheep.
And I'm like, what is that?
And why are they in these kind of concentric circles?
And normally, they're really-- like, sheep are noisy,
but they were just absolutely silent.
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): So what or who
is the cause for these weird sheep and their
eccentric, concentric behavior?
If I didn't know better, I would
call this a living crop circle.
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): While the concept of crop circles
may have originated with a series
of hoaxes in the '70s and '80s, similar reports
go back centuries.
And some of the latest crop circles
are so mathematically precise, many theorize
that they are encoded messages from extraterrestrial forces.
When you see something this odd,
you have to ask yourself a question.
Are we dealing with, perhaps, some form
of non-human intelligence that are controlling these sheep?
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): This wouldn't be the first case
of crop circle via animal.
About a decade ago, crop circles were springing up all
over Tasmania, Australia.
The culprit?
Frenzied wallabies hopping in circles, almost as if someone
else was controlling them.
And what about this wild and woolly sheep incident?
Historically, there was an incident
that happened back in 1888 called The Great Sheep Panic.
This is where sheep, thousands of them, at the same time,
they got up, and they just fled.
They went crazy.
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): The cause of that incident
is still up for debate today.
As for our East Sussex herd.
Whatever caused these sheep to act in unison,
something powerful triggered them.
Whether you think all crop circles are hoaxes,
or you're already at work decoding them,
you've got to admit, these sheep certainly
seem to be up to something.
Let's turn to our experts to find out if this flock is being
manipulated by extraterrestrial forces,
or if someone is trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
[gentle music]
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): Dr. Stephanie Schuttler
says the wallaby crop circles have more to do with the crops
than the circles.
They were eating poppy plants, and they got high
and were jumping around in circles
that made these patterns.
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): But biologist Floyd Hayes
doesn't think an opium high accounts
for the strange behavior of the English sheep.
I don't think there's any evidence that they're drugged.
I think if they were really not feeling well,
they'd probably be sprawled out on the ground.
But they're all standing alert, so they appear to be healthy.
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): So is there
a chance these sheep circles could be perfectly natural?
So a lot of prey species will gather together as a defense
against predators, especially in open areas like this,
and they will form circular shapes.
What's really odd about this, though,
is that the circles seem to be perfectly
shaped and evenly spaced apart.
So this is something that you really
wouldn't see naturally happen.
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): Schuttler
looks closer and notes that most of the sheep
have their heads down like they're eating.
For her, that clue is the key to this mystery.
What's really going on is these sheep are just eating,
and the food that they were given
was laid out in this circular pattern.
The sheep are, therefore, making this formation
just because that's where the food is.
TONY HARRIS (VOICEOVER): Chris Hogg
arrived at the same conclusion.
He decided to investigate after taking this photo
and tracked down the farmer.
I was like, have you seen what the sheep are doing?
And he looks over and goes, "Yes!
I fed them in that shape."
[laughs]
[gentle music]
So we've solved the mystery.
It seems that the way to a sheep's mind
is through its stomach.
Our verdict?
These strange sheep circles were simply a byproduct
of a specific feeding method.