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)