What are the cultural and historical uses of giraffe milk?

Is giraffe milk used in any culture?

Reliable sources do not describe a traditional practice of milking giraffes for people to drink. Cattle, goats, sheep, camels, yaks and horses are milked in many cultures; giraffes are not. Many web pages claim giraffe milk is used in African ceremonies or as medicine, but we could not find any credible source for that, so we do not repeat it.

What do we know about giraffe milk?

Scientists have analyzed giraffe milk only rarely. One study of reticulated giraffes in a zoo analyzed 15 milk samples from three animals, with 13 of them from a single mother over one lactation. It reported that fat was higher in the first month (about 11%) than later (about 6%), that the energy content fell from 1.48 to 1.00 kcal per gram, and that ash was around 1%. With so few animals, it cannot show what typical giraffe milk is like.

Why is giraffe milk not a food?

• Giraffes are large wild animals and are hard to handle safely.
• They are not bred for dairy, and no dairy industry has developed giraffe milk as a product.
• No food regulator has approved it.

Is giraffe milk healthy for humans?

Nobody can say. There are no human studies and no food-safety approvals. Be skeptical of a nutrition table that lists exact vitamins and minerals, because the published research does not support one for people. Raw milk from any animal can also carry germs.

Common myths

• Giraffe milk is a superfood: there is no evidence for this.
• It cures illness: no study shows it, and no milk cures diseases.
• It is widely drunk in Africa: no reliable source supports it.

What to use instead

If you are curious about unusual milks, look at traditional dairy animals such as camel, yak or goat, which have documented uses and available products.