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Because our bodies are adapted to bipedalism, putting our anus out of reach of our tongues.
A big item here is our huge butts. Humans have a ridiculously huge butts for our size which is actually a major advantage. Our butts are gigantic muscles that allow for distance running unlike any other creature, literally no other animal can run for distance like a human can.
Having these rockin’ cans means we get dirty butts that need to be cleaned after poopin’. Unlike other animals we prefer not to lick our butts clean, but we still prefer clean butts over the alternative, hence wiping.
But for real, if you look at other animals you’ll notice as a general concept that they can poop without get their skin nearly as dirty as humans can. We evolved to poop in a sort of a crutching position which naturally spreads ’em and helps with cleaning but as a society we generally use sitting positions which means dirty cheeks that need to be wiped.
You can rub your butt on the carpet, instead. Would you?
As a child I spent time near cows, I’ve owned a few dogs, and have spent more time at zoos than is probably normal. In my limited experience your statement is not true. I’ve seen many a cow, known more than one dog, and witnessed various species of zoological captives whose bum needed a good once over.
Some dogs, of course, do wipe their ass; dragging it in the grass if you’re lucky and on your carpets if you are not. One particular dog I had was fastidious about getting a “good wipe” in, if there remained a feeling of “insufficient ejection” after a poo.
We don’t *need* to, per se, but it’s a convenient and relatively hygienic way to remove poop particles that stick around after the deed is done.
Not doing so leads to rashes and itchyness, and if you’ve ever seen a dog or cat drag its ass across your carpet, you know that we’re not the only species who deals with that particular problem.