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Why don’t animals other than humans get sick from uncooked food?

Carnivores can suffer from food poisoning, say our readers, but they are generally eating fresher meat, and their digestive systems are adapted to raw food

8 May 2024

Fox with fresh fish standing on a stone in a lake. Amazing capture of this predator. Nature and wildlife is so rewarding and people still have a lot to learn from all of this.; Shutterstock ID 1041384616; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Jan Stria/Shutterstock

Other than humans, animals just eat what they find, as they find it – no cooking, no washing. Why aren’t they vomiting all the time?

Nikola Stojanovic
Leskovac, Serbia

Animals, particularly wild ones, have digestive systems that are adapted to handle raw and uncooked foods, which are their natural diet. Their stomach acidity is usually higher, enabling them to break down raw meat, bones and other tough materials more efficiently, as well as killing harmful bacteria.

Mike Follows
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, UK

Carnivores can suffer from food poisoning, but there are several reasons why they are less susceptible than we…

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