Is BF vulnerable to disease, insanity or age?

[escAPEe]

In keeping with the working theory that these creatures are flesh-and-blood animals, then wouldn't these creatures be vulnerable to frailties of the flesh similar to those that we suffer from?

From Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, Shylock argues, "If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?" By the same line of reasoning, then why shouldn't this species of flesh-and-blood creatures which has so far successfully remained elusive and unproven to science be any less susceptible to similar ailments that disable human beings. And when afflicted with such a disability, wouldn't that significantly impair their ability to elude us and remain hidden? Logic tells us that perhaps our best opportunity for observing one of these creatures would be when that creature was somehow afflicted or disabled.

Was the Patty creature filmed by Patterson and Gimlin in 1967 somehow disabled to some degree by deafness and unable to hear their approach? Who knows? Perhaps a disability such as deafness could explain how they were able to get within line-of-sight filming distance of the creature in the first place.

Are these creatures immune to variants of diseases ranging from the more significant rabies, tuberculosis and smallpox down to the mundane common cold? Not likely if they are indeed flesh-and-blood as we are. However, have any witnesses ever observed (seen or heard) a creature to be coughing or sneezing?

And over time do some of these creatures become deaf or blind or at least hard of hearing or with poor vision? Or might they ever suffer from a broken limb or other such serious injury? Yet, why haven't any witnesses observed such handicaps or disabilities?

Such vulnerabilities must come with the territory of being a flesh-and-blood creature. Perhaps it will be due to some such vulnerability that investigators will get their next break toward proving the existence of these creatures.

[#59]

Maybe, they have a real good HMO?  :wink:

Seriously though, you have posed some rather thought provoking comments.  Does their "wildness" (most truly wild animals especially predators rarely produce vocal responses to pain, etc.) provide a "mask" for actions/reactions that most humans take for granted?  After all, to cry out in pain is a certain death sentence for most creatures in the wild.

As far as disease and other impairments making them more susceptable to discovery that may well be the case however, the swift and certain ways in which nature deals with the infirm and weak likely make for a very short window of opportunity.

No one ever said it'd be easy.