by Louise Danielle Palmer
Rhonda Pietsch, the Denver Zoo’s primate specialist, has found a perfect (if bizarre-sounding) solution for controlling the adult male orangutan under her care: basil oil. Following the advice of Francis Cleveland, an expert in animal aromatherapy, Pietsch found that the scent calmed down her testy primates in the winter, when they tend to be in close proximity to one another. A dab of basil oil equals no more stick fights, spitting, or poking. It turns out aromatherapy works for the primate population; it is helpful in addressing a variety of animal ills, which is why Pietsch makes the rounds every morning, offering her orangutans a rather sophisticated and unusual side order to the typical zoo breakfast fare.
Pietsch moves from animal to animal, placing different scented oils on the tips of her fingers for their consideration. The animals indicate interest with different body signals, including pushing their foreheads, lips, chins, cheeks, or arms forward to receive the aromatherapy. Sally chooses yarrow and rose to make her aging body more agile. Mias wants a dab of frankincense on his forehead, and a bit of eucalyptus above his lip to clear his allergies.
In essence, these primates are self-medicating — just as they do in the wild, where they have been observed to pick and eat certain plants that have healing properties. Both humans and primates have highly developed smell receptors in their brains, though they have become less important to us as we have evolved. For most animals, though, sense of smell remains crucial to survival.
“They are very, very smart and are able to tune in and read the body,” Pietsch says. “They will refuse an oil if they don’t want or need it any longer. That’s how I know it is time for a change in oils. Likewise, they may take a great deal of interest in an oil and so I will offer it again to them in the afternoon.”
These primates instinctively know which kind of aromatherapy they need in order to balance out a bad mood, stabilize a nervous stomach, or fix a bad cold, Pietsch says. Mias, for example, has allergies that get worse in the winter when he is moved indoors. To alleviate his runny nose, the 300-pounder always picks two different kinds of eucalyptus, a plant commonly used by humans to relieve congestion. Mias also picks fennel and Roman chamomile to soothe his stomach when he’s nervous (the aromatherapy takes away his diarrhea problem, whereas the medicine the vet gives him does nothing, according to Pietsch).
Aromatherapy also alleviates emotional ills, Pietsch discovered. Allie, for example, was only six when her mother died. She quickly became despondent and depressed following her death. Looking for ways to help her heal, Cleveland recommended frankincense and sandalwood, both of which immediately helped Allie release some of the emotion around the death of her mother. After a month and a half, Pietsch says everyone began to see a noticeable change in her mood and behavior.
As far as Pietsch knows, Denver is the only zoo using aromatherapy to help its animals cope. Pietsch, who also gives aromatic oils to other animals she cares for as “enrichment,” says cats love musky scents, especially Possession. Red river hogs love Clinique perfume, but hate the Colors brand. “They won’t go near it,” she chuckles. ~ end ~
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Friday, May 04, 2007
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