450 Sheep Jump to Their Deaths

[Randy]

Originally Posted by [url=http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=920398

ABC News[/url]]ISTANBUL, Turkey Jul 8, 2005 — 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."

[broken]

That story is 3 things in one.

It's funny, because sheep are stupid, and when they all follow each other off a cliff, you can't help but laugh.

It's strange, because why did that one sheep start it all off. Did it slip or did it have problems and was suicidal?

And finally, it's sad because the people have lost their livelihood due to their live stocks stupidity.

[geekerati]

That's the craziest thing I've heard in a long while. I had no idea that peer pressure was so prevalent amongst sheep. Lol, perhaps they should mix a little Prozac into their diets!

Maybe they are smart and had a sick plan of solidarity and rebellion against their owners, turning themselves into Kamikaze sheep, so that future generations of sheep will have better living conditions!

You know, Turkey just announced that it has abandoned the ICANN for its own alliance, so maybe the sheep were more comfortable with the "shortcomings of the existing Internet infrastructure and all of its monopolistic tendencies".

Seriously though, I feel bad for them all, cause it's hard to make ends meet these days. I hope they have enough food for their families.

[delstu]

that's sad

shouldn't be any immediate shortage of food, but how are they going to earn a living?

[L4nc3k]

3 feelings:
a) pity: I am pity for the shepherds.
b) Strange: heck, why the sheeps go-jumping-hell?
c) Interesting: A history in my mind...
-Lancer

[Lupine1647]

Originally Posted by L4nc3k

3 feelings:
a) pity: I am pity for the shepherds.
b) Strange: heck, why the sheeps go-jumping-hell?
c) Interesting: A history in my mind...

To sum it up, I had the same feelings as Lancer, though I also did feel somewhat sad for the sheep.

And then it makes you wonder, they could have been the serta counting sheep becoming suicidal.

[delstu]

Originally Posted by Lupus1647

And then it makes you wonder, they could have been the serta counting sheep becoming suicidal.

that would have turned the whole thing into a positive instead of a negative

[sporkmasterflexx]

holy cow thats crazy. It would really suck to be shepherd in Isanbul right now, I wonder what made them do it or it it maybe had something to do with the weather

[elnube]

Anyone else think that 450 sheep aimlessly jumping off a cliff is just a little bit funny??

I do feel sad for the farmers, but still, you gotta admit. That's pretty funny...

[scott-pang]

Originally Posted by L4nc3k

3 feelings:
a) pity: I am pity for the shepherds.
b) Strange: heck, why the sheeps go-jumping-hell?
c) Interesting: A history in my mind...
-Lancer

completely agreee....