Inventor Makes Paper From Elk Dung June 5, 2000 12:59 pm EST

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A Swedish inventor has discovered a rather roundabout way of getting paper from his country's pine forests -- make it from elk dung.

Sune Haggmark and his partner Ann-Mari Remahn experimented with a food-mixer and an oven before finding the right consistency, the tabloid Expressen reported Monday.

They take eight to 10 elk pats, add water and a secret binding agent and turn the dung into a small sheaf of A5-size paper costing 70 Swedish crowns ($8).

"The paper is pure cellulose and doesn't smell of anything except bark," Remahn said. "It's a light brown color shot through with traces of bark and small splinters." The newspaper said tourists from Russia, France and Germany had trekked to the couple's small-holding near Ostersund in central Sweden to buy the paper and Sune's latest product -- elk dung visiting cards.

-- Anon (anon@anon.anon), June 07, 2000

Answers

(.....ring.....) Hello?... Hi, Ann-Mari, how are things?... You don't say? Congratulations... Uh, well, sure, I'd love to come to dinner at your place with you and Sune... No, no, you don't need to cook anything special for me... No, really, please don't cook anything for me. Especially in an oven. I'll just bring some crackers... Sure, frozen Margaritas sound fine. I'll bring the food-mixer... No, no problem at all... No, believe me, I don't mind... Okay, later... (.....click.....)

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), June 08, 2000.