The Gift Shop at the Sequoia Park Zoo is introducing two exciting new product lines that will benefit conservation initiatives as well as Zoo residents.

Ellie Pooh Paper is made from - you guessed it - elephant dung. The Sri Lankan elephants who donate their waste products to the Maximus project are vegetarian, so the waste they produce is basically raw cellulose. Once cleaned and processed, the dung is transformed into acid-free, linen-like paper and used to create a variety of paper products like notebooks, cards, and art project materials. By putting the elephants’ waste product to good use, the people of Sri Lanka are benefiting economically and living in harmony with the elephants. Ellie Pooh product prices range from $3 for note cards to $20 for journals. Further information about the Ellie Pooh project can be found at www.mrelliepooh.com.

Snow Leopard Enterprises is a partnership between the Snow Leopard Trust and Himalayan herders living in snow leopard habitat. The partnership encourages the herders’ families to protect the leopards and their prey by compensating them for livestock losses and generating alternative sources of income from traditional crafts. Among the natural, organic, hand-crafted products the Zoo Gift Shop is carrying are elfin-like slippers at $10 and unique area rugs starting at $75. Further information about the Snow Leopard Trust can be found at www.snowleopard.org.

”A big part of the role of today’s zoos is conservation,” says Donna Pace, Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation President. “By purchasing products offered through programs like these, visitors are supporting critical conservation projects as well as benefiting the animals at the Sequoia Park Zoo. All products come with their own story, making them unique and inspirational as holiday gifts. These organic products offer a simple solution to Christmas time gift giving that will make you and your gift recipients feel good.”

The mission of the Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation is to promote and stimulate interest in the Sequoia Park Zoo and support the zoo’s development, operation and activity programs through fundraising, marketing, and other initiatives designed to enhance the zoo’s position as an important Northern California destination.