- As new research reveals perfume ranks among UK adults’ top five unneeded Christmas gifts, Chessington World of Adventures is asking for donations for their animals
- The fragrances will play a key role in the zoo’s animal welfare programme, helping to create stimulating experiences for over a dozen species of mammal
- Visitors can drop off their leftover perfume at the attraction from Christmas through to New Year
As Christmas approaches, the season of giving often brings familiar staples – socks, chocolates, and perfume. But how many of us receive gifts of perfume we don’t need? New research shows that perfume is among the top five (16%) Christmas gifts Brits receive but don’t need, alongside chocolates (37%) toiletries (32%), socks (22%), and candles (19%).
Across the UK, countless leftover bottles gather dust in bathroom cupboards, with over 1 in 10 (14%) Brits admit to having five or more unopened or partially used perfumes at home. This year Chessington World of Adventures is giving these forgotten fragrances a new lease of life, offering a unique opportunity to turn them into a gift for good.
Chessington’s zookeepers are calling on the public to donate their unused perfumes to support the animals’ enrichment programme. Animal enrichment involves providing activities that encourage animals to exhibit natural behaviours similar to those they would display in the wild. The donated fragrances will be used to help create stimulating sensory experiences for the zoo’s mammals including meerkats, monkeys, capybaras, binturongs, otters and servals.
Adam Douglass, Zoo Manager at Chessington World of Adventures, explains: “Enrichment plays a critical role in ensuring our animals lead happy, healthy lives, and scent-based activities are particularly effective for stimulating their natural instincts. Interestingly, our animals seem to have a nose for luxury – Calvin Klein and Jimmy Choo perfumes are firm favourites among many of our mammals. Perfume donations might seem unusual, but they’re a simple way for the public to support our work and bring real benefits to the incredible animals in our care.”
Animal enrichment is a vital part of Chessington Zoo’s enrichment programme, which focuses on five categories: nutritional, structural, cognitive, social and sensory. Sensory enrichment stimulates animals’ ‘Flehmen Response’, which is a natural behaviour that allows creatures to access information carried through smell. This type of enrichment also has health advantages including increasing fitness, building muscle and allowing the animals to interact with their environment.
Visitors can take part in the initiative by dropping off their sealed, unused perfumes at the resort’s Lodge Entrance between Christmas and the New Year. It’s an easy way to make a meaningful contribution to the wellbeing of the zoo’s animals while enjoying the festive fun at Chessington World of Adventures.
To book a day ticket or a short break, visit the website here.