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Recently I got an amazing opportunity to travel to South Africa. When there I'll be staying with a local tribe. One of the animals we're likely to encounter is a dik-dik, and I'm wondering if a dik-dik is ok to eat. Of the brush meat available there seems to be very few things worth considering.

dik dik picture from wikipedia

For reference here is the wikipedia page on Kosher animals. However I don't see a dik-dik listed.

Allan Lewis
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Evan Carroll
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    you should consult an actual expert for a proper halachic response, but according to this site, they have the right signs and belong to a family that has many kosher members http://science.jrank.org/pages/2092/Dik-Diks.html and according to this site, they fulfill biblical requirements: http://ancientjudaism.homestead.com/complete-kosher-food-laws.html . They are also listed on this one http://kosherstuffedanimals.com/ – rosends Nov 28 '16 at 11:30
  • related http://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/23313/759 – Double AA Nov 28 '16 at 18:01
  • I read once that South African law doesn't allow wild animals to be captured and then killed, only shot in the open veld, so you will sadly not find any kosher game biltong for sale. – Michael Sandler Nov 29 '16 at 18:48

1 Answers1

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The animal is part of the antelope family and has split hooves and chewes the cud. I would always consult a rabbi, as this answer is not a halachic dictation. Based on the information in your link there seems to be little not-kosher about the dik-dik.

In the wikipedia entry you cite: chewing the cud:

Like all even-toed ungulates, they digest their food with the aid of micro-organisms in their four-chambered stomachs. After initial digestion, the food is repeatedly eructated and rechewed, a process known also as rumination, or 'chewing the cud'.

As a member of the family of bovidae it has split hooves: source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bovidae

All bovids have four toes on each foot – they walk on the central two (the hooves), while the outer two (the dewclaws) are much smaller and rarely touch the ground.

I'll include the obligatory disclaimer that whether the species itself is kosher is only part of the question of whether it is allowed to eat. Unless you yourself are a qualified shochet, the way the animal is kept and slaughtered might still render the animal unfit for kosher consumption.

RonP
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