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From Dung to Paper: The Eco-Friendly Craft of Elephant Poo Paper
From Dung to Paper: The Eco-Friendly Craft of Elephant Poo Paper
Elephants are widely regarded as one of the most intelligent animals on Earth, capable of complex emotions and deep social bonds. But beyond their intelligence, elephants also play a surprisingly important role in the ecosystem — largely thanks to their enormous appetite. As the largest land mammal, an elephant consumes a huge volume of vegetation every single day, from bamboo and grass to banana leaves, sugarcane, and various wild leaves and fruits.
With that much fiber-rich food going in, it’s no surprise a lot comes back out. Because elephants have a relatively simple digestive system, much of what they eat passes through largely undigested — leaving their dung packed with raw plant fiber. And that fiber, it turns out, makes for surprisingly good paper. A single elephant’s daily dung output can produce up to 115 sheets of paper, giving rise to what’s now known as “No Tree Paper” — a growing eco-conscious movement that swaps traditional wood pulp for fiber sourced from animal dung, often referred to internationally as “poopoopaper.”
How Elephant Poop Becomes Paper
The process might sound unusual, but it’s genuinely fascinating once you break it down step by step.
1. Collection
It all starts with gathering enough elephant dung, which is often mixed with dung from other animals at the sanctuary. Many sanctuaries partner directly with paper-making workshops, supplying dung on a regular basis.
2. Cleaning and Boiling
The collected dung is thoroughly cleaned, then boiled for 4 to 6 hours. This step softens the plant fibers while eliminating any bacteria — and it’s done entirely without harsh chemicals, keeping the final product completely chemical-free. Even the water used in this stage doesn’t go to waste; it’s often reused for boiling again or repurposed as fertilizer for plants and trees.
3. Mixing
Once boiled and drained, the fiber is blended with other non-wood plant materials to strengthen the final sheet. Common additions include pineapple husks, corn stalks, hay, and banana tree trunk — all combined to create a pulpy, cellulose-rich mixture.
4. Coloring
At this stage, the pulp still looks like an off-white stew. Natural food-safe coloring is added here, keeping the paper free of harmful dyes or chemical impurities. As with the boiling stage, leftover water is often reused or given back to plants.
5. Screening — Shaping the Final Sheet
The last step is screening, a technique that traces back to the very first papermaking methods in China around 105 AD. A wooden-framed screen is submerged in water, and the colored pulp is spread evenly across its surface by hand. Once evenly distributed, the screen is lifted out, any remaining impurities are removed, and the sheet is left to dry naturally in the sun. After drying, the paper is carefully peeled away, sorted, and trimmed to standard sizes.
Today, this paper is made both by hand and by machine — each giving a slightly different finish. Handmade sheets tend to have a rougher, more textured feel, while machine-made versions come out smoother. Skilled artisans sometimes extend the boiling time to soften the pulp further, creating an even smoother top layer once dried.
The finished paper goes on to become all kinds of beautiful, sustainable products — souvenirs, gift bags, diaries, notebooks, and handmade flowers and crafts.
At Krabi Elephant Sanctuary, this very process is part of our hands-on Program C experience — where guests get to see firsthand how something as simple as elephant dung can be transformed into a genuinely eco-friendly, beautiful product.
Meet These Elephants in Person — Krabi Elephant House Sanctuary
Everything you just read happens here every day. Our rescued herd roams free in the forest just 20 minutes from Krabi Town — join them for feeding, mud spa and bathing.
Hotel pick-up included · English-speaking guides · Limited group size