Zoo Doo — this manure puts the nasty into dung dynasty

The odds of winning this lottery are better than a scratch ticket, and something to sniff at.

The prize: zoo manure.

And you get to shovel it yourself

The species feces is from rhinos, hippos, giraffes, mountain goats, tapirs and other non-primate herbivores.

This gardening gold, Zoo Doo, is sold by packaged pints or gallons online and at zoo stores.

To get a better price and more of it, the lottery is the way to go. Only about 1 in 4 are lucky enough to get the chance to shovel up this poop and take home a truckload.

Some people who win drive more than three hours for it, said Kaitlyn Welzen.

She’s the zoo’s recycling and compost coordinator, on paper. “There’s a long list of titles. I personally lean towards the title pharaoh of feces,” she said.

The zoo annually turns about 625 tons of animal dung and bedding materials into Zoo Doo compost. Enough to fill about 50 concrete mixer trucks.

It’s serious stuff. By turning animal waste into fertilizer, the zoo saves more than $75,000 in disposal costs a year.

What better way to get people excited about hauling off your dung than to have a lottery.

In addition to Zoo Doo, there’s Bedspread, which is feces blended with wood chips and shavings.

Last week, the zoo had a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate new renovations to its Zoo Doo yard to modernize the compost facility.

The event happens again in six months, when the zoo has its spring Fecal Fest.

The scoop

Enter online through Sept. 8

Pick-up dates are Sept. 28 through Oct. 13

Zoo Doo is $5 for 5 gallons; $10 for 10; $20 for 32; $30 for 55; and 100 gallons for $50.

Pick-up truck beds of Zoo Doo are $50 to $80.

Bedspread by the truckload is $40 to $60.