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EUROPE ZOOS FOCUSES ON ANIMAL ENRICHMENT BY SAVING CHRISTMAS TREES FROM LANDFILLS

Now that the holidays are over, people around the world are putting away decorations and discarding their Christmas trees. Zoos across Europe are recycling discarded Christmas trees into enriching experiences for their animals to reduce waste and keep real pines out of landfills. 
For the past five years, the Noah's Ark Zoo Farm in the United Kingdom has been conducting a Christmas tree recycling program. Customers are asked to drop off their trees at the zoo in January, without any lights or decorations. About 15,000 trees have been donated to the zoo since the program's inception. This project helps animals of all sizes by giving them a new toy, a unique snack, or an enclosure addition that will catch their attention.
Similar to the seasonal delight we experience with Christmas trees in our homes, the team writes, "Chippings from the trees are used in the Andean Adventure habitat, where our spectacled bears Madidi, Rasu, Tuichi, and Beni delight in the fresh scents and textures." "In other areas of the zoo, meerkats and rhinos take pleasure in the festive addition of tree mulch, and their caretakers bury food under the chippings to promote natural foraging behaviours." 

Because their habitat has been transformed into a temporary forest, elephants also get to play with and number of untouched trees. The zoo says, "Our African Bull Elephants love foraging through piles of chippings for hidden snacks and savour the branches as a festive treat." "Christmas tree branches give their diet of willow and other tree foliage a seasonal twist, guaranteeing they get both nourishment and enrichment." 
The zoo's curator, Chris Wilkinson, told the BBC that the trees give the animals a whole new sensory experience. He explains, "Some of the animals will have a good rub against the trees because they have a really nice smell that they're not used to."
As a precaution, the Berlin Zoo accepts unsold Christmas trees from specific vendors rather than accepting donations because the trees may contain leftover chemicals or decorations. The giraffes at this zoo were given a special treat this year: the trees were hung upside down in their enclosure so they could examine and nibble on them.

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