Clean, drinkable water is a precious resource that not everyone can easily access, and this becomes even more apparent when we look at areas facing a lack of clean water.
Earth, with a population of over 7.5 billion people, still has regions where finding a bottle of clean drinking water can be a significant challenge. This is particularly severe in countries and regions lacking safe water supply systems. However, while we must be cautious about our water sources and regularly check the safety of the water we drink, wildlife living in natural environments can drink from untreated water sources and still thrive. So how do they survive with such “dirty” water?
When we think of unclean water, we often immediately imagine the potential dangers, such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites that can harm health. These diseases, especially waterborne diseases, are indeed one of the leading causes of millions of deaths each year worldwide. As a result, humans must be extremely careful when consuming water from unsanitary sources.
However, for wildlife, the story is entirely different. They live in wild environments where water sources are not always clean. Many animal species, from large ones like elephants and deer to smaller ones like squirrels and mice, often have to seek water from lakes, ponds, or streams without any other options.
But clearly, wild animals drink dirty water daily—how do they manage to survive?
Regularly consuming a water source helps animals “acclimate” to certain bacteria present in that water.
The answer lies in “tolerance” and “adaptation”
We often think of forests as having rivers and streams, but in reality, these forests do not always provide an abundance of water for wildlife. Instead, animals face many obstacles to find water sources.
As a result, no animal would dare abandon their usual drinking pond to venture to another water source simply because they have no other choice.
Regularly consuming a water source helps animals “acclimate” to certain bacteria present in that water and tends to enhance their body’s resistance. This means that their bodies can recognize those types of bacteria more easily and “deal with” them more effectively. However, this is only true if the quantity and type of bacteria in the water remain relatively stable. For a water source that suddenly becomes heavily contaminated, the situation would be different.
Do you think this is clean water? Not necessarily!
In nature, contaminated water is quite common. However, not all water sources are polluted to the extent that drinking from them poses a serious problem. Furthermore, most mammals have a highly developed sense of smell, allowing them to detect which water sources are contaminated and avoid drinking from them.
Additionally, contamination or infection does not necessarily lead to illness. Infection occurs when harmful microorganisms invade the body and begin to multiply. Illness only manifests in a small portion of infected individuals, which is when cells in the body are damaged and symptoms of the disease begin to appear.
Partly thanks to evolution
As you know, all organisms reproduce to maintain their species. For individuals that survive after drinking contaminated water, their offspring will inherit certain genes that help their bodies withstand a certain level of microorganisms in the water.
Any organism that can safely drink contaminated water will certainly have an advantage over those that fall ill or die.
That said, it might seem like we are oversimplifying the fundamental process of evolution, but in summary, in this water-scarce situation, any organism that can safely drink contaminated water will certainly have an advantage over those that get sick or die, and their descendants will too.
After all, drinking contaminated water can lead to death for any animal
After reading all of the above, you might assume that wild animals can drink dirty water without any issues? However, any organism that is invaded by pathogens must endure some level of damage, whether you witness it or not.
You might observe deer drinking from a water source and assume they are drinking contaminated water. But the likelihood of witnessing that animal becoming sick, suffering, and eventually dying is quite low, as animals tend to hide when their health is compromised until they recover or pass away.
This kind of hiding relates to a concept known as hide-and-die syndrome, which occurs in the final stages of hypothermia. This phenomenon has even been observed in humans.
