Not your average romantic accessory...

 

Cedar Sanderson e-mailed me the link to this Valentine's Day gift via the San Antonio Zoo in Texas.

Yes, it's a hippo dung scented candle!  The zoo describes it as follows.

Did you know, hippo poop is the cologne of the hippo world and is used to impress potential mates?

So, if you’re looking to turn up the heat and attract that special someone, our poop-scented Hippo-Love Candle is the rizz you need. The scent of seduction will have potential mates flocking to you like never before.

This one-of-a-kind candle captures our famous hippo, Timothy’s, signature scent of hippo poop. Embrace the power of nature this Valentine’s season and give this memorable gift that will certainly take you from date to mate.

Having been in the presence of far too many hippopotami for comfort, particularly at close quarters, I'm here to tell you that I've never seen a female hippo all a-twitter over the scent (?) of a male hippo's dung in the water.  "The cologne of the hippo world" indeed!  Hippo dung is very useful to feed small fish and fertilize underwater vegetation, but I somehow don't see it as an aphrodisiac.  Wikipedia says of their behavior:

Hippos engage in "muck-spreading" which involves defecating while spinning their tails to distribute the faeces over a greater area. Muck-spreading occurs both on land and in water and its function is not well understood. It is unlikely to serve a territorial function, as the animals only establish territories in the water.

Nevertheless, if flung dung strikes you as romantic, you can pick up a hippo-dung-scented candle from the Zoo's shop.  Personally, I'd think that a hunka hunka burning dung would produce the very opposite effect from that (presumably) desired . . . but what do I know?

Peter