Waste Recovery Potentials of Solid Waste Generated by Animals at Zoological Garden of a Tertiary Institution in Nigeria

Lack of proper management of litters generated by zoo animals can escalate into very serious environmental health hazards and reduce touristic sight attraction to the visitors and picnickers. This paper assessed the number of animals and, amounts of organic wastes produced and their disposal methods in a zoo located on the campus of University of Ibadan, Nigeria, with a view of recommending resource recovery option. Samples of waste generated by 17 varieties and a total of 112 live animals and birds in the zoo were collected each day for seven days in a week for physical and chemical characterisation. Physical characterisation was carried out by spreading them on a work bench before taking their volumes and weight using a calibrated drum and weighing scale, respectively. The chemical analyses were carried out on volatile substances, non-volatile substances, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, total phosphorous and empirical carbon using analytical methods. A participatory observation checklist was also used to monitor feeding practices and method of waste disposal in the zoo. The total waste (fresh weight) generated per week was 3.28 ± 0.8kg, ranging between 0.03±0.00kg and 3.4±0.08 kg per day with the least from tortoise and highest from gorilla. The wastes had high levels of organic matters (78.7%),volatile substances (54.9%), non-volatile substances (45.1%), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (2.4%) and total phosphorous (2.0%). Zoo wastes were very rich in valuable mineral nutrients and hygienic disposal with resource recovery is recommended to prevent environmental health hazards.