Why can’t humans drink water directly from a river like other animals in the forest or eat food directly from the ground like dogs and cats? After all, aren’t we animals like them?
here’s nothing stopping you from doing so. You might get sick and you might wind up getting parasites. That’s what happens to animals. Some of them tend to have stronger stomach acids than we do so some of the critters they eat are destroyed by that but a lot of parasites have evolved ways around that.
Let me ask you this. Do you have a dog or cat? Occasionally you need to give them a dewormer to kill the parasites they have in their body. The parasites they got from eating directly from the ground or drinking directly from the river.
Ever heard of giardiasis? It’s a nasty little disease brought on by one of these:
That’s a parasite that lives in beavers, rodents, cows and sheep. If you drink water that is contaminated with it you’re going to get sick. Really sick. You won’t die or anything but you might wish you did.
This is why it’s so important to wash your produce, cook your meat properly and if you’re out in the wilderness boil your water before drinking it.