THE FARM — Sheep aren’t known for being the brightest bulbs in the box.

According to a through survey of one farmer in my acquaintance, sheep as a group are rather dull. Herd mentality rules their lives, as it should since grouping together is their only defense against predators.

For good or for ill, following the leader is part of the strong herd instinct. Just read this little tidbit from sheep101.info:

“When one sheep moves, the rest will follow, even if it is not a good idea. The flocking and following instinct of sheep is so strong that it caused the death of 400 sheep in 2006 in eastern Turkey. The sheep plunged to their death after one of the sheep tried to cross a 15-meter deep ravine, and the rest of the flock followed.”

But if animated movies have taught us anything, there’s always one animal outlier that has a little more curiosity or a little more smarts than the rest of the herd. Sure, in the movies it makes that outlier a hero, but I’m not sure if we can say the same for the curious sheep featured here.

In the video, a sheep has somehow gotten itself caught in a tire swing. The tire is so lodged around the sheep’s middle that when it tries to run out of the tire, it swings up into the air repeatedly in an acrobatic display. For an outsider, it actually looks like quite a fun ride.

Don’t worry, I’m sure the farmer who witnessed the struggle released the sheep without much ado. But not until he got it on video while giggling like a small child at the sheep’s predicament, of course.