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Press Releases
Cargill Salt Keeps Minnesota Zoo Sea Otters Swimming Apple Valley, MN – December 7, 2009: – The Minnesota Zoo will welcome another donated 20-ton shipment of salt for its sea otters and dolphins on Tuesday, December 8 – thanks to an ongoing partnership with Cargill. The shipment is expected to arrive between 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Minnetonka-based Cargill Salt, a business unit of Cargill, has donated over $100,000 worth of salt to the Minnesota Zoo since 1990 – roughly a quarter of the salt used in the Zoo’s sea otter and dolphin pools. Bay & Bay Transportation, a Cargill Salt transportation partner, has donated the cost of shipping the salt from Cargill’s location in Savage to the Zoo in Apple Valley. The Zoo has received between 2-3 donated loads (20-tons each) of salt per fiscal year since that time. The food-grade evaporated salt, delivered in a semi-truck, is blown from the vehicle to the Zoo’s 20-ton bulk holding basin. Once transferred, the Zoo can use the salt immediately if it needs to. “Each shipment of salt donated by Cargill provides budgetary relief of approximately $4,000,” said Minnesota Zoo Foundation Director Melissa Lindsay. “We are extremely grateful for the generous support that we have received from Cargill over the past 19 years.” In prior years, donated salt was used exclusively for the Minnesota Zoo’s dolphin pool in Discovery Bay. Since the opening of Russia’s Grizzly Coast in the summer of 2008, the Zoo has also used the salt in the sea otter system. Although usage per year varies, on average the Zoo uses 80–120 tons of salt per year in the dolphin system. This is the Zoo’s second full fiscal year operating the new sea otter exhibit; so far, roughly 100 tons of salt have been used. Cargill and the Cargill Foundation have provided additional funding to the Minnesota Zoo for more than 20 years, including a $1 million gift for a new environmental education center. Cargill employees and retirees are regular volunteers at the Zoo. “We recognize our continued success depends on conservation of our natural resources and the growth and health of our communities and partners, such as the Minnesota Zoo,” said Mark Murphy, assistant vice president of Cargill Corporate Affairs. “This donation of salt is a unique way Cargill can support the Zoo’s mission to connect people, animals and the natural world.” Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 158,000 people in 68 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit cargill.com The Minnesota Zoo is located in Apple Valley, just minutes south of Mall of America. For more information, call 952.431.9500 or visit mnzoo.org. The Minnesota Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and an institutional member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).
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