This was mighty annoying ...



Associated Press
Posted: May 4, 2004
Some monkey business tied up traffic Tuesday for about three hours when a truck carrying waste from the zoo spilled its contents.

The spill of monkey waste and food, water and algae from a moat at the Milwaukee County Zoo occurred about 10:45 a.m., closing eastbound I-94 and southbound U.S. 45/I-894 until about 2:30 p.m., officials said.

Kim Brooks, a spokeswoman for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department, said a latch securing the tank that held the waste broke on the truck.

"It's one of those things," she said. "You certainly don't want to be in the deputy's place" investigating the matter.

Jennifer Diliberti, public relations coordinator for the zoo, said the waste had been removed from the moat at the zoo's Macaque Island, a process done twice each year. It has a consistency of sludge and is dark brown to black in color, she said.

"I think it's comparable to any sort of sewage," she said. "One of the zookeepers said from a scale of one to 10, the smell's a nine."

The material had been "aged" at the zoo for 48 hours before being loaded into a Milwaukee County Parks Department truck for removal, she said.

That destroys any virus that might be in the material, she said.

"It doesn't pose any health problems," Diliberti said.

I heard about this but didnt' see it on any of the DOT freeway cams.

Looks like I'm going to have to watch the news tonight for the helicopter footage.

You have NO idea how much I'm laughing right now.

Mike  <-- formerly of Milwaukee

Saw it on tv. Didn't see much monkey poo, just the fire department hosing down the freeway.

Apparently they only empty the monkey poo twice a year. I hate to see what that pile of poo looks like 5+ months into that cycle.

Well, I was traveling from the north shore area to Big Bend (43S -> 94W -> 94S -> 43S), and I get to the 94W -> 894S exit, and we've got cones, a FD vehicle blocking the ramp, and a MCSD Impala at the end of the cones... I thought it was construction, then I get home & see the news... Zoo vehicle dumps monkeypoo, freeway shut down...

ARGH, that wasted alot of my time... But at least I wasn't driving behind the thing when it went... Poo + Z28 -> NOT FUN...

If someone told you that traffic on 94W/894S was shitty today... It would literally be true

Quoted: Saw it on tv. Didn't see much monkey poo, just the fire department hosing down the freeway. Apparently they only empty the monkey poo twice a year. I hate to see what that pile of poo looks like 5+ months into that cycle.

Looks like treated sewage sludge, but the smell is probably worse because it hasn't been treated yet...

One of the companies I do sys admin work for is in the wastewater treatment business (engineering & process control automation)...

Quoted: ... just the fire department hosing down the freeway.

Exactly what I'd have been doing.... my luck then the EPA would've been come bitching....

Yes, this would certainly become one for the Hazmat guys.

Quoted: Yes, this would certainly become one for the Hazmat guys.

Hey, wait a minute! I am one of the HazMat guys.....EWWWWW!!

"Gee, Captain, I can't go in. My suit has a hole in it! I'll just sit over here in the ambulance and run rehab...."