Milwaukee Public Museum to exhibit "The Scoop on Poop"

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- This fall, the Milwaukee Public Museum is delving into the wonders of basic biology with a new traveling exhibition, The Scoop on Poop. Based on a popular children’s book by the same name, The Scoop on Poop leads visitors on an investigation of what poop is and how animals and humans use it. The exhibition will run from September 28, 2013 – January 5, 2014.

Tickets for The Scoop on Poop will go on sale May 15, 2013. Tickets are $5 in addition to regular MPM admission, or $4.50 for members.

Why an Exhibit about Poop?

Fish do it, frogs do it, pythons, eagles and elephants do it, yet poop is one of those subjects we find difficult to talk about with a straight face. Kids, however, are positively fascinated by it, and poop is interesting stuff, really! Animals use poop to build homes, hide from enemies, attract mates, send messages, and cool off - some even eat it. Veterinarians, farmers, naturalists, paleontologists, Maasai tribesmen and power companies use it too. Poop is a scientific puzzle. With a little detective work, you can learn a lot about an animal by what it leaves behind.

The idea behind The Scoop on Poop sprung from the pages of a popular childrens' book by the same name. Clyde Peeling, director of Reptiland - a specialized zoological park in Allenwood, Pennsylvania - saw the book and thought it would make a great exhibition. "Poop is part of life," said Peeling. "It's something adults get squeamish about, but kids are universally fascinated by it."

The traveling exhibit is not just a reprinting of the book. It features graphic panels written for a museum audience, artifacts, models, and fun interactive exhibits that make kids part of the learning experience. Visitors are invited to listen in on an animal’s digestive system, learn the language of poop in countries around the world, examine fecal samples in a veterinarian’s lab, compete in dung beetle races, track wild animals by clues left in scat, see how long it takes an elephant to poop their body weight, improve their #2 IQ in stool school, and meet a dinosaur dung detective. 

The Milwaukee Public Museum is a natural and human history museum located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884. MPM has three floors of exhibits that encompass life-size dioramas, walk-through villages, world cultures, dinosaurs, a rain forest and a live butterfly garden, as well as the Daniel M. Soref National Geographic Theater and Planetarium. The museum houses more than 4.5 million objects and hosts nearly half a million visitors each year.