The zoo that will recycle your old Christmas tree

Christopher Mace - BBC News, West of England
·2 min read

A zoo is asking people to drop off their old Christmas trees so they can be used as "enrichment" for the animals.

Noah's Ark Zoo Farm in north Somerset has accepted about 15,000 trees over the past five years.

Some of the trees will be turned into chippings that can be used by the spectacled bears, which enjoy the pine scent, and the rhinos, which enjoy foraging through them.

Others will be given to the zoo's African bull elephants, who will eat the branches and forage through the trees.

The zoo's curator, Chris Wilkinson, said the trees would make a real difference to some of the animals.

"The trees have a really nice smell that they're not used to, so some of the animals will have a good rub against them.

"For the elephants - their habitat is full of sand, which means we can bury the trees and stand them up to make a whole forest for them to come and explore.

"They'll eat them a bit, they'll throw them around, they'll explore for the food we put in."

Spectacled bear next to a Christmas tree in a frosty field.
The zoo's spectacled bears enjoy the smells of the Christmas trees [BBC]

The scheme has become popular since it began in 2021, with about 3,000 people bringing their Christmas trees to the zoo in 2024.

"It's just grown year on year, and now we're officially partnered with North Somerset (Council)," said Mr Wilkinson.

"It's a way that we as a charity can help the community and become a bit of a hub for this sort of thing."

The zoo will have a Christmas tree drop off point in its car park until 26 January.

Pile of Christmas trees next to a gravel path, with a sign saying 'Tree Recycling This Way'. Behind is a frosty field and trees outlined against a blue sky.
The zoo will accept Christmas trees until 26 January [BBC]

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