What is elephant dung

And as we all now know, thanks to the amount that they poop, elephants are a perfect candidate. As the digesters break down the organic waste, methane and carbon dioxide are collected to be used in stoves or gas-powered engines. Nutrient-rich bio-slurry is also created during this process, which can then be used as a fertiliser.

Many types of insects make these piles of poop their home, including beetles, scorpions, crickets, termites and millipedes. And we all know that dung beetles bury balls of elephant dung after laying their eggs in it. As well as creating a highly-nutritious home for some of the smaller creatures, it also benefits those who would want to eat those creatures. Honey badgers, mongooses, hornbills and francolins will scratch through them, snacking on the bugs and grubs hidden within.

And this concludes our chat about elephant dung. See details below. In the Guest Blogger profile, you'll see fresh and exciting content from a range of contributors who have submitted their content to us on a once-off or temporary basis, including press releases, campaigns and exciting adventure and travel tales! Natural history , Opinion Editorial. Natural history.

Opinion Editorial. The latter acts as a kind of fermentation tank. Food stays here for an extended period of time, allowing the intestinal bacteria to extract as many nutrients as possible from the food. Even so, more than half of what an elephant eats passes through undigested. Consequently, elephant dung is an incredibly energy-rich fertiliser, and it is a waste to just throw it away.

A mix of manure and plant residues is enriched with various microbes including lactic acid bacteria, streptomycetes, yeasts and moulds. These microbes are referred to as Effective Micro-organisms, or EM. Unlike conventional composting, this mixture is subsequently sealed airtight. In this process, useful metabolic products of the microbes are created, the energy in the end product is better preserved and less of the mixture is lost in the form of carbon dioxide CO2 , ammonia NH3 or hydrogen sulfide H2S.

Being a Fair Trade organisation, Maximus Elephant Conservation Trust is committed to the ideal of sustainable development and the health and well-being of humans, animals and the environment. What is more their workshop is in the grounds of the Millennium Elephant Foundation MEF , a small charity that takes care of sick, old and disabled elephants.

Click here to view our elephant dung range. How is elephant dung paper made? This is because the year-old collects elephant dung that he turns into high quality paper. And for a continuing supply of dung, he very much wants Kenya's elephants to remain alive and well. While some people might be a bit sniffy about the thought of elephant droppings being turned into paper, it is in fact a small but growing industry in the East African country, with 17 firms now involved, according to official government figures.

Kenya's elephant dung paper industry is centred on the Mwaluganje Elephant Sanctuary, a community-owned 36 sq km 14 sq mile conservation area for elephants, 28 miles 45km south west of the coastal city of Mombasa. Making the paper started as a pilot project in , before commercialisation began a decade later when local farmers such as Mr Matano set up their own paper-making businesses.

The sanctuary itself was established in both to help elephants, but also to assist or so local farmers. The farmers had for generations had to put up with elephants from the nearby government-owned Shimba Hills National Reserve walking into their farmlands and eating or destroying crops.

This resulted in serious and sometimes deadly conflicts between humans and elephants.