Aromatherapy has smell of success at Denver Zoo

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/29/2003 9:51:15 AM Pacific Standard Time,

chrisziggy writes:

 

> any of

> our UK list members know about Caroline Ingraham and her work and School

> of Animal Aromatics? If they do have any concrete info or studies about

> animals and AT it might be helpful info ... and if not, well ....

>

 

Caroline Ingraham is a very well known " Aromatherapist " in the UK. In fact,

she even wrote for Aromatic Sage. I can't remember which issue it's in, but it

is indeed there.

 

She does the same sort of thing with Horses as Catherine Bird, however

Caroline takes it to the YL level, meaning, in my opinion, she crosses the

boundries

of common sense and enters La-La land with enthusiasum.

 

I knew she was going to start this school a couple of years ago, but was

unaware as to how far this project of hers had come along.

 

Now. Keep in mind this is MY opinion only.

 

Cheers!

Kathleen Petrides

The Bad Candle Goddess

Our Candles are so good they're BAAAAAD!

http://www.badcandles.com

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

See my notes at the bottom of the article ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Saturday, December 27, 2003

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001824225_mellow27.ht

ml

 

 

Aromatherapy has smell of success at Denver Zoo

 

 

By David Kelly

Los Angeles Times

 

 

<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/art/ui/dot_clear.gif>

<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/art/ui/dot_clear.gif>

 

 

DENVER - Mias is a big, noisy ape who chomps melon rinds like potato

chips and flings plastic buckets around when he's bored.

 

 

Yet one whiff of rose oil, and the bruising orangutan wilts, becoming as

docile as a lamb. He pushes his nose through the cage and lets Rhonda

Pietsch gently daub it with a bit of rosy scent, then inhales dreamily.

 

 

" They really look forward to this, " said Pietsch, an animal keeper at

the Denver Zoo. " Smell is such an important part of their lives. "

 

 

The zoo, one of the largest in the country, is pioneering the use of

aromatherapy on its animals, giving daily treatments to four orangutans

and now to gorillas as well.

 

 

" As far as we know, no other zoo in the country practices aromatherapy, "

said Ana Bowie, a Denver Zoo spokeswoman. " It is being pursued as an

enrichment activity to add a positive aspect to their daily lives. It

could expand to other animals. "

 

 

She said orangutans and gorillas, close relatives of humans, were a

natural starting point because they respond to many of the same things

people do. Animals with a more poorly developed sense of smell, like

many birds, would be more challenging to work with.

 

 

The aroma idea came to Pietsch, a primate specialist, as she tried to

boost the spirits of a young orangutan depressed over her mother's

death. A book on aromatherapy set the keeper to wondering if it could

benefit apes.

 

 

She began asking for donations of essential oils and was contacted by

Frances Fitzgerald Cleveland, a Littleton, Colo., aromatherapist who

specializes in treating pets. Cleveland, who usually deals in cats, dogs

and horses, donated the oils and showed Pietsch how to use them.

 

 

Zoo animals were offered a series of aromas. They ignored those they

didn't like and grew boisterous when a smell stimulated them.

 

 

In time Allie, the brooding orangutan, cheered up. Mias, who suffers

from allergies, immediately chose eucalyptus and fennel, ideal for

sneezing and watery eyes. The oils are rubbed on his forehead, nose and

ears. Others chose scents such as violet leaf, a natural analgesic.

 

 

 

 

" We are always looking to improve their living conditions and give them

a better quality of life, " Pietsch said. " We have seen a general

improvement in their sense of well-being. "

 

She noted that wild animals often chew medicinal plants when they feel

sick.

 

 

" It's fascinating, " Pietsch said. " You can put it on a blanket, and they

will just smell it all day. "

 

 

Many captive animals fixate on smells unavailable in a natural

environment. At the Denver Zoo, the lions adore Jovan Musk Oil and go

mad for the scent of elephant toenail clippings.

 

 

" Most animals are so into smell, they want it around all the time, "

Bowie said. " The Red River hogs love cheap perfume. Sometimes we put

catnip in with the big cats. "

 

 

Cleveland, the aromatherapist, believes she can decipher what ails an

animal by testing its body hair and analyzing the energy it gives off.

She then finds the oil to treat the problem.

 

 

" People are very skeptical of this, " she said. " When I first started, my

husband said: 'Get away from me, you weirdo.' And now he is totally

behind me. "

 

 

Cleveland has plenty of horse scents.

 

 

She carries them around in a bag: sandalwood, jasmine, carrot seed and

rose oil, just the thing to boost the morale of a moody mare or lift the

libido of a stallion.

 

 

She was standing this week in a freezing pasture gently waving bottles

of fragrant oils beneath the considerable nose of Maynard, a Welsh Cob.

 

 

When the shaggy horse sniffed the violet-leaf oil, he bared his teeth,

his nostrils flared wildly and he tried to suck it out of the bottle.

Success. Cleveland rubbed the scent on his legs and massaged it into his

black mane.

 

 

" He's very mouthy, " Cleveland said, describing Maynard's penchant for

chewing on everything. " I think he was probably weaned too quickly. "

 

 

The horse calmed instantly. It stopped gumming a visitor's coat and

seemed enraptured by the new smells engulfing its body.

 

 

Each oil has a different function: Sweet marjoram helps eliminate muscle

pains; carrot seed boosts the immune system; vanilla soothes frazzled

nerves.

 

 

Cleveland trains people to treat their pets with oils. This creates a

special bond between the two, and the animals " feel safer and more

empowered, " she said.

 

 

" The most important thing is that we allow the animals to choose what's

best for them, " she said. " We don't force anything on them. "

 

 

Back at the zoo, Pietsch was trying to entice Allie into a treatment.

 

 

Mias, standing nearby, bellowed to catch the keeper's attention. She

offered him a whiff of grapefruit. He blew a raspberry. She tried basil.

He sniffed it lovingly, looking a bit like the fictional Ferdinand, the

bull who preferred flowers to bullfighting.

 

 

" Males love to smell like flowers, " Pietsch said.

 

 

When she's out of the office, the zoo keeper tries the treatment on

another primate - herself.

 

 

" I get migraines, " she said. " It helps me relax. "

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I did a google search on the EO donator for this " experiment " and here

is a snippet from her bio ...

Frances is a Certified Aromatherapist through the Institute of Dynamic

Aromatherapy. Frances also studied in England with Caroline Ingraham,

the pioneer of Equine Aromatherapy, and obtained her Equine Aromatherapy

Certification from The Ingraham Method at The International School of

Animal Aromatics. She is currently the only United States member of the

ISAAP (International Society of Animal Aromatic Practitioners) .. any of

our UK list members know about Caroline Ingraham and her work and School

of Animal Aromatics? If they do have any concrete info or studies about

animals and AT it might be helpful info ... and if not, well ....

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

 

http://www.alittleolfactory.com <http://www.alittleolfactory.com/>

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks Chris, that was fascinating reading.

MAKE A HAPPY MEMORY EVERY DAY:

Evelyn

Alternasense Skin Design Products

www.alternasense.com<http://www.alternasense.com/>

-

Christine Ziegler<chrisziggy

< >

Monday, December 29, 2003 12:47 PM

Aromatherapy has smell of success at Denver Zoo

 

 

See my notes at the bottom of the article ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Saturday, December 27, 2003

 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001824225_mellow27.ht<http://\

seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001824225_mellow27.ht>

ml

 

 

Aromatherapy has smell of success at Denver Zoo

 

 

By David Kelly

Los Angeles Times

 

 

<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/art/ui/dot_clear.gif<http://seattletimes.nwsou\

rce.com/art/ui/dot_clear.gif>>

<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/art/ui/dot_clear.gif<http://seattletimes.nwsou\

rce.com/art/ui/dot_clear.gif>>

 

 

DENVER - Mias is a big, noisy ape who chomps melon rinds like potato

chips and flings plastic buckets around when he's bored.

 

 

Yet one whiff of rose oil, and the bruising orangutan wilts, becoming as

docile as a lamb. He pushes his nose through the cage and lets Rhonda

Pietsch gently daub it with a bit of rosy scent, then inhales dreamily.

 

 

" They really look forward to this, " said Pietsch, an animal keeper at

the Denver Zoo. " Smell is such an important part of their lives. "

 

 

The zoo, one of the largest in the country, is pioneering the use of

aromatherapy on its animals, giving daily treatments to four orangutans

and now to gorillas as well.

 

 

" As far as we know, no other zoo in the country practices aromatherapy, "

said Ana Bowie, a Denver Zoo spokeswoman. " It is being pursued as an

enrichment activity to add a positive aspect to their daily lives. It

could expand to other animals. "

 

 

She said orangutans and gorillas, close relatives of humans, were a

natural starting point because they respond to many of the same things

people do. Animals with a more poorly developed sense of smell, like

many birds, would be more challenging to work with.

 

 

The aroma idea came to Pietsch, a primate specialist, as she tried to

boost the spirits of a young orangutan depressed over her mother's

death. A book on aromatherapy set the keeper to wondering if it could

benefit apes.

 

 

She began asking for donations of essential oils and was contacted by

Frances Fitzgerald Cleveland, a Littleton, Colo., aromatherapist who

specializes in treating pets. Cleveland, who usually deals in cats, dogs

and horses, donated the oils and showed Pietsch how to use them.

 

 

Zoo animals were offered a series of aromas. They ignored those they

didn't like and grew boisterous when a smell stimulated them.

 

 

In time Allie, the brooding orangutan, cheered up. Mias, who suffers

from allergies, immediately chose eucalyptus and fennel, ideal for

sneezing and watery eyes. The oils are rubbed on his forehead, nose and

ears. Others chose scents such as violet leaf, a natural analgesic.

 

 

 

 

" We are always looking to improve their living conditions and give them

a better quality of life, " Pietsch said. " We have seen a general

improvement in their sense of well-being. "

 

She noted that wild animals often chew medicinal plants when they feel

sick.

 

 

" It's fascinating, " Pietsch said. " You can put it on a blanket, and they

will just smell it all day. "

 

 

Many captive animals fixate on smells unavailable in a natural

environment. At the Denver Zoo, the lions adore Jovan Musk Oil and go

mad for the scent of elephant toenail clippings.

 

 

" Most animals are so into smell, they want it around all the time, "

Bowie said. " The Red River hogs love cheap perfume. Sometimes we put

catnip in with the big cats. "

 

 

Cleveland, the aromatherapist, believes she can decipher what ails an

animal by testing its body hair and analyzing the energy it gives off.

She then finds the oil to treat the problem.

 

 

" People are very skeptical of this, " she said. " When I first started, my

husband said: 'Get away from me, you weirdo.' And now he is totally

behind me. "

 

 

Cleveland has plenty of horse scents.

 

 

She carries them around in a bag: sandalwood, jasmine, carrot seed and

rose oil, just the thing to boost the morale of a moody mare or lift the

libido of a stallion.

 

 

She was standing this week in a freezing pasture gently waving bottles

of fragrant oils beneath the considerable nose of Maynard, a Welsh Cob.

 

 

When the shaggy horse sniffed the violet-leaf oil, he bared his teeth,

his nostrils flared wildly and he tried to suck it out of the bottle.

Success. Cleveland rubbed the scent on his legs and massaged it into his

black mane.

 

 

" He's very mouthy, " Cleveland said, describing Maynard's penchant for

chewing on everything. " I think he was probably weaned too quickly. "

 

 

The horse calmed instantly. It stopped gumming a visitor's coat and

seemed enraptured by the new smells engulfing its body.

 

 

Each oil has a different function: Sweet marjoram helps eliminate muscle

pains; carrot seed boosts the immune system; vanilla soothes frazzled

nerves.

 

 

Cleveland trains people to treat their pets with oils. This creates a

special bond between the two, and the animals " feel safer and more

empowered, " she said.

 

 

" The most important thing is that we allow the animals to choose what's

best for them, " she said. " We don't force anything on them. "

 

 

Back at the zoo, Pietsch was trying to entice Allie into a treatment.

 

 

Mias, standing nearby, bellowed to catch the keeper's attention. She

offered him a whiff of grapefruit. He blew a raspberry. She tried basil.

He sniffed it lovingly, looking a bit like the fictional Ferdinand, the

bull who preferred flowers to bullfighting.

 

 

" Males love to smell like flowers, " Pietsch said.

 

 

When she's out of the office, the zoo keeper tries the treatment on

another primate - herself.

 

 

" I get migraines, " she said. " It helps me relax. "

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I did a google search on the EO donator for this " experiment " and here

is a snippet from her bio ...

Frances is a Certified Aromatherapist through the Institute of Dynamic

Aromatherapy. Frances also studied in England with Caroline Ingraham,

the pioneer of Equine Aromatherapy, and obtained her Equine Aromatherapy

Certification from The Ingraham Method at The International School of

Animal Aromatics. She is currently the only United States member of the

ISAAP (International Society of Animal Aromatic Practitioners) .. any of

our UK list members know about Caroline Ingraham and her work and School

of Animal Aromatics? If they do have any concrete info or studies about

animals and AT it might be helpful info ... and if not, well ....

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

 

http://www.alittleolfactory.com<http://www.alittleolfactory.com/>

<http://www.alittleolfactory.com/<http://www.alittleolfactory.com/>>