KEY POINTS:
Hamiltonians are being given the opportunity to have their trees pruned free of charge while providing tasty fare for the zoo's giraffes.
Hamilton zoo director Stephen Standley said zoo staff would prune suitable tree branches at no cost to the owner in exchange for taking them as food for the giraffes.
Pitisporiums (lemon wood), coprosma, feijoa, red robyn, tree lucerne and akeake were all tasty treats, Mr Standley said.
Tree branches or "browse" were a favourite with the giraffes and offered numerous nutritional benefits, he said.
"As well as being a firm culinary favourite, browse also features significantly in our animal enrichment programmes that aim to improve the life experience and entertainment for zoo animals."
Browse was fed to giraffes during keeper talks and had an unexpected benefit for the zoo's big cat population, he said.
"Recycled browse is used to offer a new and intriguing scent for the cats."
- NZPA