Elephants, giraffes and reindeer at Berlin Zoo have been given unsold Christmas trees to eat after the festive season, as zookeepers in the German capital do every year.

The green tree branches are not only eaten by the animals, but also used as back scratchers, toothpicks or toys, the zoo said on Friday.

The trees are untreated and, according to the zoo, are of a high-quality standard.

The zoo has received a total of 45 Christmas trees from its partners, which will be fed to other zoo residents in the coming days.

"Unfortunately, we cannot accept private Christmas tree donations," the zoo said.