Dan Corum:
Dr. Doo could write theses on feces
Paula Bock
Dan Corum - a.k.a. Dr. Doo, Prince of Poo, Master of Microbes, the GM of BM, Worm Whisperer, Duke of Dung, No.1 of No. 2, Pharaoh of Feces, Shaka of Caca, Turd World Leader and Emperor of Excreta - shares fecal facts about Zoo Doo at Woodland Park Zoo, where he’s compost and recycling coordinator:
Amount of raw materials composted annually: About 600 tons (about as heavy as 50 school buses), 20 percent herbivore manure and 80 percent bedding
Zoo Doo contains: The poop of Asian elephants, chickens, Chinese goral, Dexter steers, reticulated giraffes (finger-tip-size poop), pigs, goats (Nigerian dwarf), Grant’s gazelle, hippos, Japanese serow, kea (bird), kookaburra (bird), lowland anoa (mini wild water buffalo), Malayan tapir, mountain goat, miniature donkey, miniature horse, oryx, red-flanked duiker (antelope), zebra, pudu (world’s smallest deer), rabbits, Roosevelt elk, sheep, Sichuan takin, springbok takin, tree kangaroo, tufted deer
Compost-pile critters include: Microbes, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, mites, springtails, spiders, centipedes, millipedes, red worms
Amount saved annually in hauling and disposal fees: $50,000 to $60,000
Revenue generated by sales of Zoo Doo and related products: About $15,000 a year
No. of species of bacteria in a teaspoon of Zoo Doo: 10,000 to 1 million
No. of bacteria in a teaspoon of Zoo Doo: 1 million to 1 billion
No. of Woodland Park visitors: 1 million a year
Average temperature of Zoo Doo during active composting: 150 degrees
Average daily weight of elephant poop: 200 pounds
Average daily weight of human poop: 2.5 pounds
Year the zoo began producing Zoo Doo: 1985
Dr. Doo’s motto: “Made Fresh Daily . . . Remember, it’s not just compost. It’s a movement.”
Dr. Doo’s philosophy: It’s the cycle of life. You put it in the garden and when you enjoy that beautiful tomato at the end of summer you think, wow, I’m connected to the jungle. Those nutrients have passed through an elephant, a zebra, a hippo. It’s a way for us to think about how we’re all so inter-related on this planet. With the kids, I get a chance to teach and make poop jokes. With the adults, it’s really a pop mortality play. Sooner or later, we’re all going to die; our bodies are going to become compost. It keeps me really humble.
Poop hotline: 206-625-7667; www.zoo.org.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
