The Rosamund Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, NY, has a pack of elephants producing 1000lbs of dung a day. This steaming pile, with the output of all the other animals, costs $10,000 a year to take away and be dealt with. On top of that, the zoo has heating bills of $400,000 a year. In a bid to solve one problem and reduce another, they are looking into using all that shit to generate heat.

“Zoos are about conservation and stemming the loss of animals and habitat,” Baker said. “But conservation also is about how people use natural resources. This is an opportunity to give visitors the whole picture.”

Technorati tag: Biomass, Elephants