You really do learn something new everyday! Which is why I'm start a new segment on my show (I'm on air Monday thru Saturday 3-7p if you didn't know!) Every day at about 6:40, I will share with you What I Learned Today!
Today.... I learned that big cats LOVE perfume! I had no idea that tigers, lions, and leopards respond to their favorite scents to well, and that they love perfume scents! I learned this from an article that stated the Banham Zoo in Norfolk, England was looking for perfume donations for their big cats! They specifically asked for donations of Obsession by Calvin Klein!
BBC reported that "Keepers say the strong scents help enrich the animals' environments and investigating the smells keeps the big cats mentally and physically active."
The New York Times helped elaborate on this, explaining "Cats love civetone, a pheremone secreted by a mammal called the civet. It's also frequently manufactured synthetically for use in perfumes, which is how it made its way to zoo animals' adoring nostrils."
Now, Obsession by Calvin Klein is not the only perfume the cats love! AP News reported that "ocelots at Carolina Tiger Rescue are big fans of Axe Body Spray, while one leopard favors fruity, lemony fragrances."
And zookeeper Dan Baker, who's worked at several American zoos, says that Victoria's Secret Bombshell and Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar were favorites among the tigers.
So if you are looking to clear out your perfume and body spray collection, it might be worth a call to the Fresno Chaffe Zoo, or any other zoo nearby, to see if any of their big cats might like your scents!