robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison) (11/20/84)
I saw an AP story about an Indonesian animal that looks like a
rather thin and tall boar. It is said to be "pig-like", to
have cloven hoofs, and a second stomach. It's not clear whether
a determination will be made that it "chews the cud". The story
indicated that a detrmination might conceivably be made that the
animal's meat is kosher. There are hopes that it will be easy to
domesticate, since it "roots" less than pigs do, and is therefore
less destructive.
Anybody know anything about the Babirusa?
My vague understanding is that the main question is whether the
animal has cloven hoofs, chews the cud, and is classified as
an animal similar to the other ruminants. For really different
animals (such as birds) the rules of determination are different,
and could exclude a new animal simply because it is not listed.
The Torah contains a list, claimed to be exclusive, of all animals
that either chew the cud or have cloven hooves, but not both.
If the Babiirusa is not kosher, it is at least a new exception.
- Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
{allegra, decvax!ittvax, fisher, princeton}!eosp1!robisonsmb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin) (11/27/84)
Today's "Science News" casts doubt on the factual basis of that report. In particular, the original study (by the National Research Council) based its comments on a 1940 autopsy report, which said that the stomach "presents striking similarities to that of a relatively simple ruminant such as the domestic sheep." However, Warren Thomas of the Los Angeles Zoo -- home of this country's only babirusas -- says "the babirusa has a slightly modified, a sacculated, stomach, a little different from other pigs, but it is not a ruminant. I'm sure they don't chew their cud." He also points out that they reproduce much more slowly than pigs do, which casts doubts on the economics of raising them. Oh yes -- the Jewish Theological Seminary has been bombarded with calls about the babirusas...