Berlin's zoo starts festive fun with a jungle-themed Christmas garden

The holiday season has begun in Berlin, and this year the zoo is celebrating by turning itself into a jungle-themed Christmas garden.

Transcript

00:00 The holiday season has begun in Berlin and this year the main zoo is celebrating by turning

00:06 itself into a Christmas garden. Visitors can walk along a two kilometre route illuminated

00:11 by festive lights and music. The centrepiece an illuminated castle that's more than 400

00:17 years old. And this year the zoo is showcasing a jungle theme. But you can get more out of

00:24 this than simply hot chocolate and sweets. Studies have shown a wide range of benefits

00:29 for people connecting to the natural world. And one environmental psychologist says it's

00:34 proven to make people happier. It helps you restore all the resources you need to process

00:42 information, to make decisions and positive effects on your mood. It makes you more calm

00:51 and relaxing. Yeah, in a joyful and positive mood. Research has shown that nature helps

00:56 people with everything from creativity to productivity. One study found that people

01:01 who spend time outdoors in the evening are more productive the next day. And it doesn't

01:05 even have to be real nature. Depictions of nature have been found to help people as well.

01:11 [Music]

01:30 Try to think of the value that nature has for us and to establish kind of a human nature

01:37 connection. And we tend to forget that we are strongly dependent and interdependent

01:46 and a part of nature. Such benefits can be particularly beneficial in the winter months

01:54 when people tend to stay indoors for longer. And with climate change, some scientists say

01:58 people getting out into the natural environments around them is more important than ever.

02:03 [Music]