Miami’s Metrozoo is recycling 1,400 pounds of elephant poop, 750 pounds of rhino dung, and 500 pounds of giraffe excrement per day.
In an innovative effort to save landfill space and reduce the zoo’s ecological footprint, the organic waste is used as fertilizer, and also to “decorate the zoo grounds.” In addition to the “big producers” – elephants, rhinos, and giraffes – other herbivores are regularly making their own contributions.
Metrozoo’s horticultural supervisor, Tom Trump, said that to recycle and reuse whatever they could “made sense.” Since starting the recycling project last year, the park has saved over $20,000.
Miami Metrozoo is home to over 1,000 animals, representing over 400 species – 48 of which are endangered species.
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiswango/ / CC BY-SA 2.0
About Rhishja Cota-Larson
The Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle has a great fund-raising scheme: they sell “Zoo Doo” (composted animal manure) at a premium, and generally have a waiting list for people who want to buy it.
Never pass up a chance to brand even the most lowly product and make money from it!
“One million pounds of Zoo Doo is produced each year, saving the zoo $60,000 a year in disposal costs and generating income for the zoo.”
and WHY havent they been doing this already?