Compost

As I mentioned before, the herbivore feces is collected daily and then brought to the back of the nursery to be added to the compost piles. Additionally, the compost includes any fruit or vegetable waste left over from the animal food prep, plant debris, and soil/mulch left over from planting sights. Naturally, the piles build up over time.

Other than using the compost in a potting soil mixture and in the garden beds, the zoo sells the compost to one of the garden supply distributors they work with. These sales not only help get rid of any excess compost that might build up, but also provide a little revenue to help with P&G’s funding.

I have helped twice with the packaging the compost for the distributor to pick up. Each time the distributor asks for another bulk of compost, a sample is sent to a lab for analysis. The compost is first sifted to remove any large un-composted matter and rocks that may end up in the piles. After this, the nursery staff begins packaging the compost. Clear plastic bags are filled and then weighed so that there is at least 2kg in each package. The bags are then heat sealed by hand and stacked for pickup. Each time the distributor has asked for another pick-up, it has been for 100kg.