Worth reading although it does not directly concern the African continent… 

Ever heard the expression: “This is total bullshit”, OR “We’re in deep shhh…trouble now” (excuse my vocabulary, but it is kind of relevant for once; just keep reading ;) ). Well today, although what I’m about to tell you may sound “like” bullshit, it is not. Or rather, it physically is, but it’s a brilliant idea nevertheless lol ! 

Are you following me? Probably not and I don’t blame you… 

So Here’s The Story

The other day I was busy surfing the web when I came across this REALLY COOL website called Elephant Dung Paper.com. Does this ring a bell? OK now I can see that you’re indeed following! 

Yes, you read it right: Elephant Dung Paper! When I first saw the site I thought to myself: this is a crazy but absolutely incredible idea! And it WORKS!!! 

Where it all begins (Creative Commons Image)...

Why Such A “Bullshit Idea”?

The reason is simple: elephant dung is extremely fibrous, and contains a lot of wood and leaf content. Elephants are very poor digesters of their food, and as much as 50% of what they absorb gets discharged as waste. 

The perfect mix for paper? Why not you might say… 

Statistically speaking, one elephant can eat between 200 and 250 kg of food a day…out of which up to 50 kg comes out as poo! 

This provides enough dung to make 115 sheets of paper! Not bad, huh? That’s some real “good shit” right there ! 

Elephant Dung to Save the Thai Elephant!

Over 100 years ago elephants and men used to work hand in “trunk” (yes I know it’s kind of lame…) in Thailand, and were used for many heavy tasks; to carry wood, build bridges, work on the farm, etc. Today however, the good old days are gone as new technology is slowly but surely replacing these giant pachyderms. Because of that, the elephant is no longer seen as useful and is in great danger. 

This is why Mr. Wanchai‘s initiative is crucial. Things need to be done (and fast), or else the Thai elephant might become extinct. 

Here’s how the whole elephant dung process looks like: 

Simple Yet Efficient!

From Dung Collection to Paper Confection!

How Can We Help?

One thing you can do is to buy some of the derived dung products. Also, make sure you spread the word around. The more people know about this, the better! 

Remember this is for a good cause, and on top of that it is both a sustainable and an Eco-friendly way to produce paper. Can’t get any better than this, can it?! 

Thank you Mr. Wanchai for such an inspiring story! Thumbs up to you!!!  

Visit Elephant Dung Paper 

Until next time, have a wonderful day! 

Michael

Tags: conservation, elephant, Elephant dung, endangered species

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 at 1:21 pm and is filed under Wildlife & Conservation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed or trackback from your own site.