Christmas Tree Recycling 2024
- 2nd Jan 2025
We are excited to announce the return of our highly popular Christmas tree recycling initiative in January 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year of this sustainable tradition. In partnership with St. Peters Hospice and North Somerset Council, this eco-friendly program has grown year on year, and 2025 is set to be the biggest yet.
People are encouraged to either drop their Christmas Tree off at the Zoo car park in opening hours, or make a donation to St Peter’s Hospice, and then leave their Christmas tree outside their home to be collected between 10 – 12 January 2025. The Tree Collection service runs across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
Recycled Christmas trees play a key role in creating natural enrichment for animals at the zoo. Chippings from the trees are used in the Andean Adventure habitat, where our spectacled bears Madidi, Rasu, Tuichi, and Beni delight in the fresh scents and textures, much like the seasonal joy we feel with Christmas trees in our homes. Elsewhere at the zoo, rhinos and meerkats enjoy the festive addition of tree mulch, with their keepers burying food beneath the chippings to encourage natural foraging behaviours.
Even the largest animals get in on the fun. Our African Bull Elephants savour the branches as a festive treat and enjoy foraging through piles of chippings for hidden snacks. Branches from Christmas trees add a seasonal twist to their diet of willow and other tree foliage, ensuring they benefit from both nutrition and enrichment.
