Bears enjoy wrestling them, meerkats use them as lookout towers, and other animals hunt for food hidden amongst their branches.
Used Christmas trees are proving to be an ideal eco-friendly gift to enrich the lives of the various creatures at Hamerton Zoo Park.
The zoo, located south of Peterborough, near Sawtry, puts out an appeal each year for people to donate their green Christmas trees. So far they have received 60 – with donations still coming in.
Cathy Evans, head of small animals at the zoo, said: "Some of them like the tigers and bears enjoy playing with the trees and throwing them around.
"We hide food in the trees as well for a range of our species, as you can see our Golden Possums enjoying having to stretch a bit further to hunt down their food.
"For some species like the meerkats, harvest mice and small primates it offers an extra vantage point in their enclosure for them to perch in.”
The zoo first came up with the idea of using the trees to stimulate the lives of its animals in 2021, and some years have taken in more than 100 donations.
Cathy added: "Accepting the Christmas trees to the zoo also prevents them from ending up in landfill – which fits with our eco-friendly environmental ethos we hold at Hamerton Zoo Park.”
The zoo accepts green, live tree donations between 10am-4pm every day. For more information about the park, visit their website.
1. Tree-mendous fun
A grizzly bear and meerkat enjoying the donated trees at Hamerton Zoo Park, near Peterborough Photo: Supplied
2. Foraging
A golden possum forages for food which the keepers have hidden amongst the branches Photo: Supplied
4. Tree dwellers
Cute little mice love to climb, play and hide in the trees Photo: Supplied