As the holidays wind down every year, hundreds of leftover Christmas trees find themselves sitting in vacant lots without homes to decorate – but luckily, there are other ways that old conifers can bring joy to the world.
Instead of letting the trees go to a landfill, dozens of zoos around the world use leftover Christmas trees to enrich the lives of their animal residents.
While elephants don’t usually have the opportunity to eat pine needles – which are deliciously rich in vitamin C – they actually really like the taste; and judging by the footage of these German elephants playing with the greenery in Berlin, the needles make for great backscratchers, too.
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Giraffes, deer, otters, and other resident plant eaters reportedly enjoy munching on the trees as well.
Additionally, these lions at the Linton Zoo in England love rolling around on the trees before their afternoon cat nap because they find the smell “exciting”, according to The Local.
If you want to give your own Christmas tree to a good cause, try calling your local zoo and seeing if they are open to donations (just make sure that you take off your tinsel and ornaments first).
(WATCH the video below)
Click To Share The Fir-tastic Story With Your Friends – Photo by Steve Goodall / Oakland Zoo