Thaindian News

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) – PETCO on Friday announced that they have begun shipping donations of pet fur to help soak up and remove oil from Gulf of Mexico waters.

The pet fur donations are provided from the company’s nationwide network of grooming salons to aid in creating absorbent booms to help in the cleanup. The effort is coordinated by a San Francisco, California nonprofit organization (NGO), Matter of Trust, which has established a process for donating animal fur and human hair to create the booms.

Volunteers gather to assemble the booms, which are made by stuffing donated nylon stockings with hair and fur, and prepare for their deployment after fur shipments arrive in the Gulf Coast region. Animal fur and human hair naturally absorb oil from the water.

“As soon as we heard about the call for pet fur to help with oil cleanup, we knew we were in a unique position to help,” PETCO CEO Jim Myers said. “With customers coming into our grooming salons every day throughout the country, we have a tremendous amount of material to contribute. This is a wonderful way for PETCO, our foundation and our customers to help protect the environment and the aquatic and bird life now at risk in the Gulf area. Everyone in the company, especially our grooming team, is excited to provide this unique assistance, and our customers are asking about it, too.”

PETCO is expecting to be able to ship up to a ton of donated fur per day and hopes to reach 5 tons through Mother’s Day weekend. Nearly 1,000 grooming salons are participating, and the company is encouraging pet owners who want to participate to visit their local PETCO grooming salon for any grooming service that includes a fur trim and help boost fur collections.