SUAMICO (NBC 26) — For years now, the Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo and Adventure Park, also known as the NEW Zoo, in Suamico has been asking for Christmas presents... after Christmas.
- The NEW Zoo in Suamico has a unique holiday tradition—collecting Christmas trees for their animals after the holidays
- Zookeeper Assistant Brent Koerner says animals like snow leopards and giraffes love the new scents and enrichment from the trees
- To donate your tree, contact the NEW Zoo on social media or by email and then visit to see how much the animals enjoy their special gifts
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Plus, it's not for them. It's for their animals.
“They definitely love to smell them. That is one of the first things they like to do, but it’s also like, ‘Ooo, a new tree!’ They get to scent-mark it or do whatever they like with it,” said Brent Koerner, a zookeeper assistant at the NEW Zoo.
From snow leopards to gators and giraffes, they’re hoping every animal can get a tree—or at least part of one.
“For, like, our snakes and lizards, you can’t really put a whole tree in their exhibit, but we’ll sometimes clip off a branch for them,” Koerner explained.
But before dropping off your tree, there are some requirements to follow.
First, you must reach out to the NEW Zoo on Facebook, Instagram, or through their email at volunteer@newzoo.org for instructions on how to prepare your tree to be dropped off.
To get a head start, Koerner says, “Take off all the decorations, ornaments, lights, all the popcorn, or any other decorations that you have. If you put fake snow on it, unfortunately, we cannot accept that. That’s going to be toxic to our animals.”
Once the trees are donated, Koerner says visitors are welcome to come and see the animals celebrate Christmas their way.
“People can definitely come out and see trees in the yard. I can’t guarantee it will be their tree, though,” he added.
