BAMBI ATE THUMPER: Why Herbivores Sometimes Eat Meat. Because it’s delicious and good for you. Duh. “The hungry doe that I met at the campground certainly had no idea about any of this evolution business. She didn’t know about differing levels of protein, iron, or salt. She smelled a steak cooking, she wanted to eat it, and it wound up in her mouth. Come to think of it, this was pretty much the same reason why I started eating meat after growing up as a vegetarian.”