From Poo to Pumpkins – Noah’s Ark celebrates ‘jumbo’ elephant grown-crop!

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, located in North Somerset, is thrilled to announce a record-breaking pumpkin harvest, grown using their very own elephant poo.

With over 3,000 pumpkins grown, including a collection of quirky and uniquely shaped pumpkins comprising eight different variants, this year’s harvest is the largest and most diverse in the zoo’s history.

What makes this harvest even more extraordinary is the innovative approach to pumpkin cultivation employed by Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm. The pumpkins are grown using a unique blend of elephant and rhino dung as fertiliser, resulting in a bumper crop that has captured the attention of visitors and the community alike.  

This year marks the fifth consecutive year of pumpkin farming at Noah's Ark and it all began with a happy accident. Larry Bush, Managing Director of Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm explained, “As part of our regular schedule of animal enrichment, the resident elephants in our 20-acre Elephant Eden habitat were given pumpkins as a seasonal treat. A few months later, our team was pleasantly surprised to find an abundance of pumpkins sprouting from the elephant dung heap! This accidental success led to the intentional cultivation of pumpkins, which has now become a cherished annual tradition at the Zoo.”

Bush continued “The unique combination of a wet, warm summer twinned with our use of elephant and rhino poo, has resulted in a huge crop of pumpkins this year. From Warty Goblins to colossal Atlantic Giants, our pumpkin patch boasts a spectrum of truly enchanting gourds!”

The freshly harvested pumpkins are now available to purchase from Noah’s Ark’s very own Farm Shop. Additionally, visitors are invited to explore the mesmerizing pumpkin collection and other seasonally themed fun at the upcoming Pumpkinfest, which runs from October 9th through to November 5th, offering a fun and educational experience for families and individuals alike.

Chris Wilkinson, Curator at Noah’s Ark said "We’re proud to be growing truly sustainable pumpkins, cultivated on our very own land, using the muck from our resident giants. They are lovingly harvested by hand and transported just a few hundred metres to our Farm Shop, where they are made available to our local community. This sustainable annual tradition fits very well with our core values.”

Learn more about Noah's Ark Zoo here.