In 2005, 1,500 sheep suddenly jumped off a cliff to commit mass suicide, experts pointed out a regrettable mistake

1,500 sheep plunging to their deaths off a cliff in 2005 turned out to be the result of a tragic mistake. What was it?

Accordingly, in 2005, there was an incident that shocked the scientific community. Specifically, in Turkey, many people witnessed a strange scene. That was about 1,500 sheep jumping off a cliff to commit suicide.

According to witnesses, the process of the flock jumping off the cliff was like a white waterfall. The first sheep started to plunge down the cliff more than 15 meters high and then the whole flock jumped. The sheep caretakers were shocked. They tried to stop the other sheep from committing mass suicide, but could not do anything.

The result of this mass suicide was that 450 sheep died instantly , and more than 1,000 others were left disabled or slightly injured due to luckily lying on the corpses of previously dead sheep.

The sudden suicide of 1,500 sheep in Türkiye surprised many witnesses. (Illustration photo).

Sheep are one of the earliest livestock species to be domesticated by humans. They are raised for their wool, meat, milk and leather. According to scientists, sheep are intelligent animals. They can remember the faces of two other sheep, thanks to their friends, after two years of not seeing each other. In particular, sheep can also recognize their friends from photos.

So, why would an intelligent animal like sheep choose mass suicide?

Sheep are intelligent animals and usually live in herds.

The incident of 1,500 sheep jumping off a cliff to commit suicide has left scientists with a "headache" trying to decipher the cause. After studying, surveying and eliminating possible cases, according to researchers, the cause of the flock of sheep in Turkey jumping off a cliff is directly related to the flock of sheep. Specifically, the direct "culprit" is the leader sheep.

In fact, in a flock of sheep, there is usually a leader. Sheep often follow the instructions and leadership of the leader. Therefore, when raising sheep, the shepherd will often specifically train a leader sheep. When grazing in the wild, the whole flock will follow the leader sheep.

In November 2022, after watching a video of a flock of sheep in China walking in circles for 12 days and nights, Professor Matt Bell of the Faculty of Agriculture, Hartpury University in Gloucester, England, said: " Sheep live in flocks, so more and more of them imitate each other, because they have the nature to bond and join with their own kind ."

What caused a flock of 1,500 sheep to commit mass suicide?

According to experts, training the leader sheep helps save a lot of manpower and material resources when grazing. However, this practice has a fatal drawback. That is, the whole flock can also "blindly" follow the leader sheep. For example, when the leader sheep crosses the river, the whole flock also follows. When the leader sheep falls off a cliff due to slipping, the whole flock also jumps off the cliff.

Always following the "leader" of the flock is said to be ingrained in the sheep's consciousness. Therefore, they can follow the leader without thinking. That could also be the reason why 1,500 sheep jumped off a cliff together to commit suicide.

The suicide of the flock shows that a big mistake by the leader sheep could very well lead to a "disaster" that destroys the entire flock.

An accident or mistake by the leader sheep can bring disaster to the whole flock.

Experts say that sheep usually live in grasslands or semi-deserts. These places are characterized by seasonal changes. When the weather turns cold, food sources become scarce. This requires the wisdom and experience of the leader to lead the sheep. The task is to find new pastures so that the whole flock can survive.

Of course, during the migration, the flock will encounter some dangers such as swamps, rushing streams, narrow cliffs. These are also the times when the leader of the flock must show his responsibility.

Specifically, in these dangerous places, the other sheep will only move forward after the leader passes, otherwise they will wait in place.

Therefore, it can be said that the leader is the "leader" that naturally forms in the flock during the evolutionary process. The leader sheep is required to be the "strongest" and bravest one to lead the flock to survive in a harsh environment.