Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

This study was conducted at Kolmården Wildlife park on a group of Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) and a group of bush dogs (Speothos venaticus).

The odors tested were:

• Real pig blood, which was obtained from a slaughterhouse.
   
• 2-pentylfuran (blood odor component), is a colorless odorant that elicit a "metallic, blood-like" odor in humans. This odorant has been found to be a volatile component in pig blood and also in the odor of meat in a cattle and fowl. 
   
• Isopentyl acetate (fruity odor), is a colorless odorant that elicit a banana-like odor in humans. This odorant has been found to be a volatile component in a variety of fruits, like bananas and apples.
   
• Diethyl phthalate (odorless control/solvent), is a colorless odor that is used in cosmetic products. This odor is nearly odorless and it was therefore used as both a control stimulus and as a solvent for the odorants 2-pentylfuran and isopentyl acetate in the present study.
  
   

At the beginning of each observation day, five wooden logs were impregnated with one of the four odors. The logs were then thrown into the outdoor enclosures of the two species and the behaviors, frequency of occurrence and duration of all log-directed behaviors were recorded for three hours in the morning and three in the afternoon.