Old Christmas trees enrich lives of zoo's animals

John Devine - BBC News, Cambridgeshire
·2 min read
Riki, the lesser spot nosed Guenon, a small fawny coloured monkey with a white chest, neck and nose, with orange eyes and black pupils sits on top of a Christmas tree nibbling some nuts that were scattered over it for him to find.
Riki, the lesser spot-nosed Guenon at the zoo has been foraging for nuts sprinkled on the spruce [Helen Black/Hamerton Zoo]

A zoo has received nearly 50 donated Christmas trees as part of an annual appeal to help enrich the lives of its animals.

Hamerton Zoo Park in Cambridgeshire put out a request to the public for used trees which the animals enjoy in a variety of ways.

Bears and tigers like to rip them up, while small primates and possums love to hunt for food that staff hide amongst the tree's branches.

Cathy Evans, 26, the head of small mammals at the zoo, said: "Every day we try and find ways to make our animals work a bit differently, it can bring out natural behaviours that they perhaps wouldn't get in captivity."

A light brown gibbon called Franco stands on the frame of a wooden climbing frame next to a 2m (6ft) high Christmas tree in his enclosure. The tree is decorated with sliced red, orange and yellow peppers and some red apples that look a bit like bauble decorations.
Franco the Gibbon enjoys feeding on the peppers and apple baubles on a donated Christmas tree [Hamerton Zoo Park]
Cathy Evans smiles at the camera. She has dark hair and is wearing a green fleece with a matching shirt beneath. She is standing in a bird aviary with a Christmas tree visible behind her.
Cathy Evans said she has been "blown away" with the amount of trees donated by the public [John Devine/BBC]

Hamerton Zoo Park sits in 25 acres of Cambridgeshire countryside south of Peterborough.

The zoo started appealing for used Christmas trees in 2021, after keepers came up with a plan to help improve and stimulate the lives of their animals.

"The trees are brilliant for us, the hyenas, tigers and bears love to jump into them and literally tear them up," said keeper Ms Evans.

Laika the brown Syrian bear wrestles with an old spruce. The bear is light brown and is on her back with an old Christmas tree on her tummy, she has four large paws on the tree and is in an enclosure with large concrete tubes which she uses as a tunnel just behind her.
Laika the brown Syrian bear enjoys wrestling with an old spruce to find hidden bits of fish [Hamerton Zoo Park]

Ms Evans said she has been blown away with the amount of tree donations that the zoo gets.

"This is our third year of doing it and it makes so much sense as the trees don't end up in landfill which is a complete waste," she said.

"We do rigorously comb through the branches of the trees before distributing them to make sure no baubles, tinsel or fairies have been accidently left behind, but it is such a joy to see the difference a simple Christmas tree can make to our animals," she added.

A golden possum called Pauline is fascinated with the new edition to her pen, as she looks on to a Christmas tree whilst sitting on a branch which goes over the top of it. The possum is a light yellow/orange colour has a long tail and jet black eyes.
Cathy Evans says donating the trees also keeps them out landfill, which helps the environment [Hamerton Zoo Park]

The zoo had more than 100 trees donated to it last year, and so far it has received nearly 50 this year and more keep arriving every day.

Ms Evans, who has been a keeper at the zoo since 2020, said staff also spray perfumes on the trees to give the animals "another level of interest".

She said: "Some like musky fragrances others prefer floral or fruity scents, we have a whole range of eau de toilette products, so the keepers go home smelling a million dollars too."

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