A panda research centre in Sichuan, China, has found a way to generate extra revenue… by selling souvenirs made from panda’s dung.
Giant pandas’ faeces can be made into paper products (paper, puppets and brush pots etc.) after recycling treatment that involves cleansing, pulping, whitening and drying. Some paper even bears the scent of fresh bamboo.
The idea was inspired by a zoo in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where they recycled manure from pandas and elephants into souvenirs, which are quite popular.
An adult panda produces about 20 kilograms of dung each day, hence dozens of bamboo-fed pandas in the Chengdu reserve produce up to 200 tonnes of excrement each year. It used to be costly to deal with the waste, but the poo can boost their incomes now. [via Crienglish]