Zoo animals feast on unsold Christmas trees
(Reuters) -Dinner is served. And there is only one item on the menu - Christmas trees.
Elephants and other animals at a zoo and animal park in Berlin were treated to a belated Christmas feast of unsold Christmas trees on Wednesday (December 29), clearly enjoying the publicity-grabbing recycling event.
The yearly tradition across German zoos regularly attracts additional visitors, who were not in abundance over the last two years due to the pandemic.
The director of the Berlin zoo and animal park, Andreas Knieriem, said that the fir trees were like "sweets" for animals.
And they tickle the tongues, as Knieriem's colleague, press spokesperson Christiane Reiss, told Reuters TV.
"These needles, the taste of the resin, that's something new, something exciting, something thrilling. And that's why it's very popular not only as an activity but also as a delicious feast," said Reiss.
Even though the annual Christmas tree feed is somewhat of a tradition, Reiss warns against private donations of used trees after the holidays. The zoo and the animal park do not accept tree donations, she said.
And it's not just the elephants who got a delicious post-Christmas treat -- bison, reindeers and Barbary sheep also got to tuck in, visibly delighted with their gift of unsold, fresh Christmas trees.
