OkcPets Magazine May 2021

26 OKC Pets • May/June 2021 Along with Oklahoma City-based landscap- ing company Minick Materials, the OKC Zoo scooped up the abundance of organic waste to create a new product: OKC Zoo Poo. “We started selling Brown Gold in 2019, which is composed of decomposed organic mat- ter, primarily poo,” said Christopher Hoffman, director of the OKC Zoo Botanical Gardens. “It is all part of the nutrient cycle. The herbivores eat plant material, which goes through their systems and is deposited to become reasonable vegetative matter. When mixed with the existing soil, it adds nutrients back into the soil.” The compost supercharges the soil, improves drainage and provides extra nutrients to help plants grow and take root. The OKC Zoo partners with Minick Mate- rials to produce the Brown Gold that gardeners are digging. The piles of poo and compost are trucked to Minick’s processing center where Minick Materials adds a special mixture of microbes to accelerate the composting process. The microbes break down the waste in about 90 days, depending on the weather. Materials included in the compost are waste from herbivores, grass/tree clippings, chipped bamboo, organic animal bedding and other sources. Carnivore waste and waste/bedding from animals on antibiotics are not used. “One of the best things about this is that we used to take the poo to the landfill. This is a much more sustainable way of dealing with poo,” said Hoffman. HOW DOO-DOOYOU USE IT? Because the zoo had so much organic waste, it took a month and 60 truckloads to transport 400,000 gallons of waste to Minick for pro- cessing for the first time. Initially, the Zoo Poo was used for the zoo’s 160 acres of gardens, but now residents can own the zoo’s Brown Gold themselves. OKC Zoo Poo is available for purchase at the Zoo’s Guest Services office, located in the Entry Plaza. Two sizes are currently available: a small bag for $3.99 and a large bag with a reusable tote bag and a packet of pollinator seeds for $14.99. “The pollinator seeds we include help us with our efforts to help Monarch butterflies and oth- er pollinators,” said Candice Rennels, director of public relations. “The proceeds of the poo sales go back to different programs here at the zoo. The public can also purchase the Brown Gold at Minick.” Recognizing the importance of these pollina- tors and the urgency of restoring the Monarch butterfly population, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden has made planting for monarchs and other pollinators a central conser- vation platform. Pollinators like Monarch butterflies, bees and other insects are vital to the health of the ecosys- tem, but the Monarch butterfly population has dropped by over 80 percent in the last 20 years due to habitat loss throughout the Monarch’s migration and breeding range. Oklahoma City is directly in the path of monarch butterflies’ annual migration. So on top of pooping up your garden, you can also help save the pollinators. The Zoo Poo will also impress your friends and clients as a thoughtful, hand-crafted (tush-crafted?) gift or thank-you present. “People don’t realize that the poo is available daily for purchase in our gift shop,” said Ren- nels. “You don’t need to buy a ticket to come in and buy it. You can just walk in the gift shop for your poo.” To learn more, call (405) 425-0262 or visit okczoo.org.