Denver Zoo touting “clean energy” poop-mobile

DENVER – Never underestimate the power of poop.

On Wednesday, the Denver Zoo will introduce its working prototype of a motorized rickshaw which runs on animal feces and trash.

Called a Tuk Tuk, the vehicle was built with patent-pending gasification technology created by Denver Zoo staff.

It will be used at the zoo’s newest exhibit, Toyota Elephant Passage, utilizing animal waste and human trash to create clean energy, zoo officials said.

“We wanted an innovative energy solution that would help us eliminate our landfill waste,” said VP for Planning and Capital Projects George Pond. “We immediately considered ways to create energy from animal poop and human trash. The result is astounding – an energy solution that can create clean energy from trash.”

A “Tour de Tuk Tuk” leaves Denver on March 22 stopping at zoos in Colorado Springs, Albuquerque and Phoenix before arriving at its final destination at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums mid-year meeting on March 27 in Palm Desert, California.