Moose love to eat Christmas trees

For several days now, hundreds of unsold Christmas trees have been transported from regional retailers and Coop outlets to the Zurich Langenberg Wilderness Park. These are very welcome in the elk enclosure: An adult moose eats four to six conifers a day. At the moment, a cow moose, a bull and the twins that were born last year live in the zoo. The many Christmas trees make the end of the year a feast for the four moose.

Moose are foraging specialists and choose their food carefully: The ruminants particularly like the twigs, buds and needles of the Christmas trees. These are the most nutritious parts of the plant. During the winter months, these replace the leaves that moose eat over the summer. "Unfortunately, we cannot feed used Christmas trees. Tinsel and wax residues are dangerous for the animals," explains Andreas Wigger, Deputy Head of Animal Operations at Zurich Wildlife Park.

Information: Bianca Guggenheim, Communications, Tel. 044 722 55 22 (head office)