Leftover Christmas trees have become a post-season treat for the elephants at Berlin’s Zoologischer Garten, who regard them as both toys and snacks.
The elephants eat the greenery from the trees and some play with the tree trunks, tossing them around with their own trunks, or using them as giant back-scratchers.
The Zoo also strung up several leftover trees above the ground at a height allowing giraffes to nibble. Reindeer are also regular consumers of the abandoned pines.
Only unsold trees from known vendors are accepted by the zoo; it can’t take trees from the public because of the possible danger of chemicals that may have been sprayed on them, or hidden ornaments.
