The ornaments sold at the zoo gift shop for $5 are made of dried chunks collected by zoo employees and then clear-coated or rolled in glitter.

"Each one is unique. They are each a work of art," Marketing Director Susie Ohley told the Bloomington (Ill.) Pantagraph.

The newspaper said Friday that while reindeer are not small animals, their waste products come out in small chunks suitable for the branches of a tree.