Oakland Zoo Cuts Sale Of Plastics, Exhibits Recycled-Plastics Animal Sculptures

OAKLAND (KPIX 5) --The Oakland Zoo announced Thursday that it is the latest Bay Area institution to stop selling beverages in plastic bottles.

Three new animals are now in an Oakland Zoo exhibit for the summer but, if you look closely, they're not live--they're sculptures of a river otter, a Mako shark and an enormous penguin nearly 12 feet tall.

Artist Angela Pozzi has exhibits all across the nation, even in the Smithsonian. She says the materials she uses are a plague on the planet.

"They are all made of garbage, garbage that was all picked up off of beaches," Pozzi said.

The sculptures were made with all manner of plastic debris, some from as far away as Japan. She says her life's work is calling attention to global plastic pollution. The Oakland Zoo is sponsoring the exhibit to kick off their new campaign called, "Imagine a Future Without Plastic."

"We gave up straws, plastic lids, plastic cups a long time ago but now, we're giving up the plastic water bottles and those types of things that keep, that will always stay in the environment," said Dr. Joel Parrott, President and CEO of the Oakland Zoo.

The zoo says they are negotiating with their suppliers to eliminate all plastics, announcing that for the first time ever, Dasani water is now in aluminum cans.

People are naturally drawn to the new sculptures, especially kids, who could not stop touching them. Six-year-old Talase Muller understands the problem of plastic pollution.

"People have been picking it up, including artist, and they made it into these sculptures. It's very interesting!"

The waste management and recycling company Recology is also working with the zoo to support these though provoking sculptures