KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Each holiday season, some trees are surrounded by gifts, while others are surrounded by red pandas at Zoo Knoxville.
"You put that in there and they went nuts, especially with these cubs," Animal care conservation and education director Phil Colclough said.
But he has an explanation for why this happens.
"Every year the box stores have a surplus of trees," he said.
That presents a problem because the trees can't just sit at the store,
so they go to the next best thing: The wild... well, kinda.
"It's something we can use in so many ways at the zoo," he said.
Phil knows a lot about animals and their love for trees.
"It's all enrichment, it's all things to get them to do their natural behaviors," Colclough said.
But don't worry. He doesn't believe any animal habitats will be excluded except maybe the reptiles. However, the elephants might feel a little different about the festive gift than others.
"Elephants will eat them, and a lot of our hoof stock will eat them," he added.
However, not all species will see it as a meal.
"A lot of the big cats they will, they are fragrant so they will roll around on them, play on them, carry them around," Colclough said.
Surprised by that? So is Colclough.
"You don't think of a big carnivore being interested in a tree," he said.
If you are wondering what will happen when the animals are done, just know the leftovers will still get used.
"They will be discarded and composted and go out to the composting bin," he said.
For everyone looking at their Christmas tree right now, Colclough wants you to know one thing.
"We have plenty of trees, so we don't need any from the public," he said.
That means please, please, "please don't drop your trees off at the zoo." That's better left to Knox County's treecycling program.
The trees are expected to arrive at the Zoo between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday. Colclough said he believes the animals will entertain the holiday novelty for several weeks.