Ascenta

Ascenta Products Help Zoo Atlanta’s African Rhino

September 23, 2009, Halifax, NS – Omega-3 fish oil from Ascenta, a company headquartered in Dartmouth, is helping treat Zoo Atlanta’s African Rhino Boma’s dry skin problem. Dry skin is very common in African Rhinos.

Representatives from Zoo Atlanta’s Animal Management and Veterinary Teams met Ascenta staff at a trade show earlier this year and decided to put Boma on the company’s Equine Omega-3 product. Zoo Atlanta’s Director of Veterinary Services, Dr. Hayley Murphy knows the benefits of omega-3 for equine health and, due to similarities in the metabolism of horses and rhinos, she decided to give the product a try with Boma. Over a short period of three months Boma’s skin problems have improved dramatically.

Omega-3 fish oils have been proven to help maintain cardiovascular, joint and mental health in humans and animals. Research also indicates that a dietary deficient in essential fatty acid consumption can lead to several negative conditions in the skin of humans and animals. Research has demonstrated that EPA and DHA, the active forms of omega-3, lead to clinical improvements in many skin diseases including eczema, psoriasis, acne and other inflammatory skin diseases.

In Canada, Ascenta’s NutraSea brand is the category leader amongst branded supplements distributed through more than 2,000 points of sale in the health food, grocery, sports nutrition, and professional channels. In the US its products are sold through some of the country’s largest health food retail chains, and in other international markets, the Company is focused on rapidly growing its customer base.   Proceeds from the financing agreement with Avrio Ventures will be used to further develop the existing product line as well as support its continued market roll-out across North America and internationally.

About Ascenta

Headquartered in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, Ascenta Health Ltd., a leading developer of natural health products, produces omega-3 supplements for human and animal health. Its human products under the NutraSea brand have a dominant 43 per cent share of the Canadian market. Its animal health products are marketed under the Canine Omega-3, Feline Omega-3 and Equine Omega-3 brands. Ascenta products are sold throughout North America, the UK, and India.

About Zoo Atlanta

An accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Zoo Atlanta inspires value and preservation of wildlife through a unique mix of education and outdoor family fun. From well-known native wildlife to critically endangered species on the brink of extinction, the Zoo offers memorable close encounters with more than 1,000 animals from around the world. The Zoo’s newest attraction, Boundless Budgies: A Parakeet Adventure, opened in April 2009. The interactive new experience is the largest of its kind in the Southeast. Zoo Atlanta is also the proud home of Xi Lan, the only giant panda cub born in the U.S. in 2008.

Other highlights include the nation’s largest collection of great apes and a global center of excellence for the care and reproduction of vanishing amphibians and reptiles. Zoo Atlanta is open daily with the exceptions of Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Keeper talks, interactive wildlife shows, education programs and special events run year-round. For more information, call 404.624.WILD or go to zooatlanta.org.

Media contact:

Alexandra Orozco
Director of Marketing
Ascenta      
902.435.7329 ext. 226
aorozco@ascentahealth.com