The perfume industry may have a new, decidedly downscale market. It seems that ocelots at the
Dallas Zoo prefer Calvin Klein´s Obsession to the fragrances emanating from such favorite sources
as snake anal-gland excretions and rat urine. Zoo scientists have been using the reactions of their
captive study subjects to help come up with ways to manage the estimated 100 wild ocelots that
remain in the United States along the U.S.-Mexico border. The idea is that scents might help draw
the endangered cats to census stations or entice them to move along so-called "wildlife
corridors" of ocelot-friendly habitat. "Sort of on a lark, one of our research assistants
produced a bottle of Obsession," says Research Curator Cynthia Bennett. The idea was not
completely new: Gorillas in the zoo have been known to rub perfume-sample cards from
magazines all over themselves. The cats immediately rubbed their cheeks and backs in the
perfume. "It is very attractive to them, and they spend a great deal of time on it," says
Bennett. "It´s a little embarrassing to watch, actually. It does make you wonder what´s in the
perfume."