text: how do scavengers obtain their health when all they eat are leftovers? please if you really know the answer. what would make a human sick does not mean it would make a animal sick. many animals have a different natural bacterial fauna in their digestive tract. this bactria helps them digest things that would otherwise make them sick.  a commonly used example of this different bacterial fauna is the stomachs of cows. cows are able to digest cellulose which humans can't because of the bacteria that lives in their gut can break beta-glucose bonds.  scavengers have similar bacteria that assist them in their digestion allowing them to digest "left-overs".