Poop pays
I mpressed by the uses of cow dung, researchers around the world are looking at excreta of other animals for their possible benefits.
Researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia recently found that a repellent made from tiger excreta can keep animals such as wild goats away for at least three days. This is despite the fact that the goats may never have seen a tiger. The repellent is made of fatty acids and sulphur compounds extracted from tiger excrement and also works on pigs, kangaroos and rabbits. These animals cause about us $311 million worth of agricultural damage in Australia each year.
In another instance, San Francisco is set to use dog waste to generate energy. The city plans to collect the waste and use it to produce methane, which will then be used to make electricity or heat homes. San Francisco has an estimated 120,000 dogs and a recent study showed that nearly four per cent of the garbage that reaches the landfills was animal waste.