Which animals besides cows provide milk for dairy products?

While cow’s milk is the most common source of dairy globally, several other animals are utilized for their milk to produce various dairy products. These include:

• Water buffalo: Widely domesticated in Asia, particularly in India, China, Egypt, and the Philippines.12
• Goats: Prevalent in Mediterranean countries and southern Europe, often used for small-scale milk production.132
• Sheep: An important source of milk in southern Europe and the Mediterranean region.12
• Camels: Commonly used for milk in the Middle East and Northern Africa.32
• Reindeer: Utilized in northern Europe.13

Other less common dairy animals include yaks, horses, and donkeys. The processing technology used for cow's milk can generally be applied to the milk of these other species.31