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In Pictures: Christmas comes early for zoo animals

Christmas has come early for some of the animals who live at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire.

The attraction near Dunstable has given tigers, monkeys and penguins some festive treats a week before Christmas Day.

Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
An early gift for a cheeky monkey at Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, Bedfordshire (Joe Giddens/PA)
Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
A squirrel monkey finds nuts hidden in festive wrappings (Joe Giddens/PA)
Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
The tasty treats were hidden in tiny stockings suspended from a rope line … (Joe Giddens/PA)
Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
… Which made shaking the presents before opening a feat of balance as well as patience (Joe Giddens/PA)
Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
Six-month-old Amur tiger cub Dmitir got a Christmas stocking (Joe Giddens/PA)
Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
Packmate Makari wasn’t going to let him have all the fun (Joe Giddens/PA)
Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
And like most babies, the tigers at Whipsnade seemed to have more fun with the packaging … (Joe Giddens/PA)
Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
… than the presents inside (Joe Giddens/PA)
Christmas at Whipsnade Zoo
Meanwhile, the rockhopper penguins unwrapped their present boxes to reveal fishy treats (Joe Giddens/PA)