Terry Posted March 9, 2012 Share Posted March 9, 2012 Gorillas don't experience dimensia so there is a chance that bf animals (if they exist and I'm one of those **** skeptics) have that same trait. t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter O. Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 I do wonder however if the lack of stressors in "Bigfoot society" might keep such debilitating mental problems somewhat at bay. I'm almost certain that this would be the case. Please see below... "Gorillas also appear to carry normal variants of genes that can cause forms of dementia and heart failure in humans. “If we could understand more about why those variants are so harmful in humans but not in gorillas,†said Tyler-Smith, “that would have important and useful medical implications.†Well, IMHO (and not just mine) I think the operative phrase is that "genetics loads the gun, but environment pulls the trigger." In my experience almost all mental problems I've encountered are the result of a particular type of environment acting upon a person who does not have the mental tools or attitude to be resistant to the situation. The recent emphasis on genetics simply shows the bankruptcy of modern psychology and the subsequent attempt to medicalize problems that can not otherwise be dealt with, which also has its socioeconomic and possitivistic roots. As for BF, since IMHO there is no such thing as an "affective disorder" (affective disorders indicate that psychic movement must take place) or "anxiety disorder" (anxiety always means that something is wrong with the situation, and it is an evolutionary adaptation that is almost always correct), these would be largely absent in BF society/interpersonal interaction. As for the psychoses, even though schizotypy is a spectrum present in all humans in a population, its development into schizophrenia is also based on upbringing and environment, and hence would occur only infrequently, if at all, in BFs, as in other animals. My 2c, Peter Oh! Btw, on another, Jungian, note, perhaps the Wild Man/Woman needs us as much as we need him, and that explains its insatiable curiosity towards our species, just like we have of it? Deep, eh? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgerm Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 PeterO, what about the genetic component to these mental illnesses. My thoughts are environment can lessen or worsen the symptoms. As for the psychoses, even though schizotypy is a spectrum present in all humans in a population, its development into schizophrenia is also based on upbringing and environment, and hence would occur only infrequently, if at all, in BFs, as in other animals. BF that develops a mental illness would be a prime suspect for kidnappings and violent behavior imho. This is why we don't see many reports to this effect since this illness is probably rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indiefoot Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 Wouldn't BF need to enforce a rigid behavioral code among their population or as Terry is suggesting in this thread one would have waltzed into some urban area exhibiting unusual behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jodie Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 (edited) By our standards they already act abnormal. How do you define bigfoot insanity? Edited March 10, 2012 by Jodie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GrapeApe Posted March 10, 2012 Share Posted March 10, 2012 (edited) As an Animal Control Officer, rabies is a topic that I am quite familiar with. Any warm-blooded mammal is susceptible to the disease. However, in this particular scenario, it is almost impossible to predict, with any accuracy, how one of these creatures would act if suffering from it. If they are closely related to humans, we could expect them to exhibit the same or similar symptoms and a similar progression. Here is the progression and the symptoms we could generally expect to see in humans: Incubation period - Usually 20-90 days; very rarely as long as several years. There are no symptoms during this period. Prodromal Phase - lasting 2 to 10 days fever anorexia (poor appetite), nausea, vomiting headache malaise, lethargy pain or paresthesia (numbness or tingling) at site of the bite Acute Neurological Phase - lasting 2 to 7 days hyperactivity disorientation hallucinations seizures, neck stiffness hydrophobia or aerophobia (intense fear of water or air caused by pain from tightening of muscles in the throat) paralysis or weakness Coma - lasting 0-14 days Death, or extremely rarely, recovery Of course, if these things do exist, the could prove to have some natural resistance to the virus or have a completely different progression of the disease. In areas where the disease is enzootic or epizootic, it is entirely possible for someone to encounter a rabid bigfoot someday. As long as he/she keeps his/her distance from it, it could be an EPIC opportunity to video the creature as it could remain completely unaware of your presence. There are two "forms" that the disease takes: the furious form (think Cujo without the situational awareness) or the more common form of "passive". In the furious form, an animal will wander around and randomly attack any thing it gets close to. This can include inanimate objects! (Maybe that includes trees and branches?) lol. In the passive form, they pretty much crawl off to lay low and die. Can they be insane? Well, one way to find out........ p.s. Most common method of transferrance is through a bite but, if the saliva or cerebral-spinal fluid comes in contact with a break in your skin or a mucous membrane then it could be contracted that way as well. This would make eating an infected animal (raw) a great way to contract rabies. Edited March 10, 2012 by GrapeApe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drew Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Ethiopian wolves eating a rodent (Ground squirrels in the case of Ethiopian Wolves being a staple) could lead to the wolf contracting rabies. So could we predict that a bigfoot eating a rabid skunk, squirrel or raccoon would be at risk as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GrapeApe Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 (edited) Potentially Drew. It would definitely put in the "high-risk" category. This could then lead to "insane-like" behavior but would not explain reports of kidnappings as someone else suggested. If rabies induces an attack, it would likely be a quick and ferocious end to the hapless victim! Of course, we would be unsure of it's eating habits but any exposure to an infected animal would be treated as an exposure to the virus normally. There are other potential causes for strange behavior. such as other diseases, toxic plants and head trauma for instance. The list of causes go on and on. To find out for sure, we not only have to find one but we'd have to find the crazy one! Good luck guys! lol Edited March 11, 2012 by GrapeApe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jodie Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 Another reason to be extremely careful if you run up on a dead bigfoot to be judicious about trying to collect evidence. We have a few "what if" threads on that topic, not enough consideration is given to cross contamination by not just rabies, but other pathogens that are deadly to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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