Hua Hin’s Hutsadin Elephant Foundation has put out the word that they have organic elephant manure for sale for 20 THB a big bag. You will be getting top (or is that bottom) class manure, helping to recycle waste and the small cost goes towards this non-profit organisation.
But that begs the question; what will you do with your elephant poop?
Elephants produce a huge amount of dung. On average, a grown Asian elephant consumes around 150 – 200 kilograms of food every day but only digest about 45% of their food. Nearly 80% of an elephant’s day is spent feeding and this can produce up to 100 kilograms of excrement.
Subsistence farmers have been using elephant dung as a type of fertiliser for generations. Because they digest so little of their food, elephant dung makes for excellent compost. What is left is a pile of semi-digested leaves, grass and bark and fruit – very good for soil.
The waste is mostly fibre; elephant dung can fairly easily be made into paper. The dung of one elephant can provide about 115 sheets of paper per day!
Elephant dung can repel mosquitos. Surprisingly, elephant dung is a natural, non-polluting, effective mosquito repellent. Light up a piece of poop and notice that the mosquitos will fly away instantly (please note, there is no need to apply the dung to the skin). Also, the fumes from burning elephant dung can also be used as a mild painkiller to heal a headache, also dulling toothaches and limiting other pains. Bleeding noses and sinus problems are also known to subside from dung smoke.
As elephants are herbivores, the fermentation process they use to break down the cellulose in their food brings out the sweet, fruity flavours in coffee beans and gives the coffee its chocolatey, cherry taste. All traces of bitterness vanish, and it has even been described as a sort of tea-coffee hybrid due to its softness on the palate.
There are some elephants in Thailand’s Golden Triangle that are pooping out coffee beans worth US$500 per pound. They’re calling it Black Ivory Coffee, and are serving it exclusively in five star resorts across Asia and the Middle East.
Humans have had to survive in the wilderness for thousands of years, long before modern industry brought us all the comforts of home so it’s little wonder that elephant dung has such a wide array of uses. Remember, just because we call something a waste product doesn’t necessarily mean we should waste it.
Please phone Hutsadin Elephant Foundation: Tel: 032 827 098100 to check availability
Hutsadin would also be grateful for any donations of unwanted banana plants (whole plant trunk and leaves) or pineapple plants to help supplement their elephant food.
For more information about Hutsadin Elephant Foundation you can visit their website.
