NEWSLINK: Big Cats and Cologne: “They Roll and Cheek-Rub and Just Look to be in Heaven.”

A tiger at Taronga Zoo in Sydney protecting her snack. Credit: Author's own

Late last year I was lucky enough to take a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the big cat facilities at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. I met one of their female tigers, plus three lions, including their magnificent male named Bruiser. All I can say is that you have not lived until you’ve seen a lion’s mane up close. Bruiser’s was so clean, so fluffy. And the colour of perfectly baked scones.
Other than the plastic barrels and rubber balls, their enrichment storage room looked like a teenage girl’s garage sale. Boxes upon boxes filled with well-loved stuffed animals; essential oils piled on high. A small, white crate filled to the brim with half-filled bottles of yellowish perfumes. It’s all part of the big cats’ month-long enrichment program that’s been designed to keep their bodies, minds and senses active, and the inspiration comes from how researchers are getting big cats in the wild to come out of hiding.read more