Woodland Park Zoo selling the ‘most exotic compost’ for gardeners
Mar 20, 2023, 11:43 AM

Woodland Park Zoo is selling the "most exotic compost available in the Pacific Northwest" made out of the zoo's animal manure. (Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo)
(Photo by Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Woodland Park Zoo)
Woodland Park Zoo is selling the “most exotic compost available in the Pacific Northwest” from the zoo’s animal manure.
The “” is made out of animal feces from the zoo鈥檚 non-primate herbivores like tapirs, pudus, mountain goats, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, zebras, and more. It also contains bedding material from the animal’s enclosures.
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The manure is left at the zoo’s composting yard, where it cures and becomes mulch rich in nutrients for home gardens.
The active composting phase lasts 30 days, and the piles maintain temperatures between 135掳F and 160掳F, which allows for the optimal decomposition of organic materials as well as destroying weed seeds and potential pathogens.
鈥淶oo Doo is a great way to garden clean and healthy for the benefit of pollinators and other local wildlife and is a sustainable green choice,鈥 said the zoo in a news release. 鈥淭he compost is so extraordinary that the zoo鈥檚 horticulture experts also use it throughout the zoo in its award-winning animal habitats and other landscaped areas.鈥
Woodland Park Zoo composts approximately 500 tons of this animal waste each year鈥攕aving around $125,000 per year in disposal costs. Woodland Park Zoo has been giving out Zoo Doo for almost 40 years.
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Bulk Zoo Doo is available for pickup at the zoo on Saturday and Sunday, March 18 and 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The prices are:
- 25 gallons – $15
- 50 gallons – $30
- 70 gallons – $40
- 100 gallons – $50
- Small truck (300 gallons) – $80
- Medium truck (400 gallons) – $100
- Large truck (550 gallons) – $120
Limited supplies of Zoo Doo or Worm Doo are available year-round in 1-pint containers at the zoo鈥檚 ZooStores.
- 1-pint Zoo Doo – $6.95
- 1 pint Worm Doo – $10
Upcoming sales will be announced by the zoo and will be held in April, May, June, and July.