BEIJING, March 26 -- Tourists will be able to buy souvenirs made from panda excretion in China soon, said a Chengdu-based newspaper today.

The Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Center is working on a project to produce souvenirs made from panda excretion to reduce pollution and save resources as well, Chengdu Daily reported.

"We will begin with paper making, but we are still looking for a qualified paper mill to handle it as the process is quite complicated," Liao Jun, an employee of the center, told the newspaper.

The center's move follows the Chiang Mai Zoo in Thailand, which has generated almost 60,000 yuan (7,782 U.S. dollars) by selling paper products made from its two pandas' excretion.

"The souvenirs do not smell," said Huang Xiangming, a department chief in the center. He once bought a fan, notebook and several post cards made from panda excretion in the Thailand zoo.

"I just couldn't help buying these baubles when I saw them because they are so cute, although I've been doing research on pandas for years," Huang said.

The center handles at least 200 tons of panda excretion every year, along with tons of bamboo scraps.

"Pandas' excretion is a perfect raw material to make paper due to pandas' high fibre diet," Huang said.

Some of the souvenirs will be have the scent of bamboo added, he said.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)