Giraffe milk, meat confirmed kosher

RAMAT GAN, Israel, June 6 (UPI) -- Jewish authorities in Israel have ruled that giraffe milk and meat qualify as kosher food.

Veterinarians at the Safari Park in the city of Ramat Gan said they took a sample of giraffe's milk while treating one of the animals and discovered that it clotted in a way that is in line with Jewish law for kosher certification, Britain's Telegraph newspaper reported Friday.

Professor Zohar Amar said he and his colleagues submitted the milk to rabbinical authorities, who ruled that meat and milk from giraffes is kosher for consumption by observant Jews.

"Indeed, the giraffe is kosher for eating," said Rabbi Shlomo Mahfoud, who worked with Amar's team. "The giraffe has all the signs of a ritually pure animal, and the milk that forms curds strengthened that."

Zoo officials said the ruling is unlikely to create a demand for giraffe food products in Israel.

"After all, this is an animal in danger of extinction," said Dr. Yigal Horowitz, the zoo's chief veterinarian.