Folly Farm’s Eastern Black rhinos have donated their poo to the National Botanic Garden of Wales to help fertilise the flowers.

The two tonnes of poo is the first donation of its kind at the gardens, and will be used as compost for the rare African plants in the Great Glasshouse.

The poo is rich in nutrients, and will be rotted down for a few months before it can be used in the flowerbeds.

Folly Farm is home to two critically endangered Eastern Black rhinos, Nkosi and Manyara, and is one of only seven zoos in the UK where these rhinos can be seen.

Folly Farm rhino keeper, Jack Gradidge, said: “Horse manure is used a lot in gardening to fertilise soil but I don’t think rhino poo has been used before, so it will be really interesting to see what benefits it has for the exotic plants in the Glasshouse.

“Each rhino produces around 25kg of poo every day, so it only took around six weeks to collect enough to fill three industrial sized sacks.

"As you can imagine, that amount of poo can create a pretty bad smell, but I’m used to it after working with Manyara and Nkosi every day.

“Like the Eastern Black rhinos, a lot of the flowers in the Botanic Gardens’ Glasshouse are rare, so the initial idea developed as a result of the link between the rhinos and the exotic plants.

“When I started working as a rhino keeper I never expected to be collecting rhino poo to be used by the National Botanic Gardens, but I’m glad that the rhinos can play their part in helping to create an environment where the African plants can grow and thrive – even if it’s with their poo!”

The National Botanic Garden of Wales in Carmarthenshire is home to the Great Glasshouse, the largest single-span glass house on the planet, which houses plants from temperate zones around the world including the Mediterranean, Australia, Chile, California, the Canaries, and Africa.

Head of Marketing and Communications at National Botanic Garden of Wales, David Hardy, said: “Using the rhino poo on the flowers is a new concept to us, as this is the first poo donation we’ve ever had, so it will be interesting to see how it compares to other compost. The rhino’s plant-rich diet means that their poo is filled with nutrients that will really help the flowers grow.

“The rhino poo will be rotted down and used on our African flowers, such as the King Protea, which is the national flower of South Africa. The flower itself can grow to the size of a dinner plate and has a lovely pink and yellow colour, making it one of the most photographed flowers in the Glasshouse.

“We share a lot in common with Folly Farm, as we work to protect and preserve our plants, just as they do with their rhinos. Hopefully the African plants will feel right at home with the African rhino poo!”

For more information and updates on the new additions at Folly farm visit www.folly-farm.co.uk or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FollyFarm/