What falls down gets used!
Excretion might be a common feature of all animals and birds, but not every type is useful. This month, we’ve ‘scooped’ together some of the best uses for the poop from different animals! From making paper to fighting pollution, the uses of animal faeces are nothing short of amazing.
Llamas to the rescue
How do you clean the polluted water supply from contaminated mines? Why, you use llama dung, of course! In Bolivia, the dung of llamas is collected for this purpose. The microbes residing in the dung not only neutralize the acidic water but also remove harmful dissolved metals. It’s not just llamas that can work this magic. The dung of horses and cows has also been used to achieve similar results. It makes one wonder if dung technology has potential in portable water filters.
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Rama Ramesh is a creative writer who has written stories and features for children’s magazines and has co-authored a series of nanotechnology books for kids.
