Zoo recruits reflect on a job well dung

ONE of their last jobs was building a runway for military aircraft in Afghanistan.

But now a team of 30 soldiers are helping with a very different task – building a compost heap for animal dung at Edinburgh Zoo.

The Royal Engineers volunteered to help out to practise their skills, which they can then use on operations around the world. They are spending the next two days laying 100 cubic metres of concrete for the huge pad, before constructing a drainage system.

The zoo is starting to recycle waste from animals such as zebras and deer in an effort to become more environmentally friendly.

Captain Noel Brown, the project manager with the 60 Headquarters and Support Squadron, said: "We're used to working in different environments.

"We like a bit of change and excitement."