Calvin Klein cologne being considered to trap tigress

Mumbai: Rangers hunting a man-eating tiger are mulling deploying an unusual weapon to lure the big cat i.e. Calvin Klein cologne, said an official on Thursday. A major operation to kill or capture the tigress named Avni, suspected to have killed up to 13 people in Maharashtra, was launched a month ago.

Calvin Klein, an American brand of men’s cologne, contains civetone, which is procured from the scent glands of a civet. It is believed that the fragrance is irresistible to women. According to scientific research, the presence of civetone attracts wild cats, as well. Hence, the officials are mulling using the cologne to trap tigress Avni. She lives in the fragmented forest in Pandharkawada in the state. Patrol teams, infrared camera traps and even elephants have failed to find her so the officials are now considering Calvin Klein’s Obsession fragrance as a possible trap.

“Someone suggested using the Calvin Klein perfume to lure her with the scent and one of our officials purchased it. It is one of the experiments we may conduct but no decision has been taken yet,” said a forest official. Scientists in America in 2013 discovered that the fragrance of Calvin Klein’s Obsession for Men was attractive to big cats owing to the presence of civetone.

The fragrance has been successfully used before to lure a tiger in the state of Tamil Nadu.

The hunt for tigress Avni (which means earth in the local language) began in early September after she was reported to have killed five villagers in the past year.  Officials suspect that she may also have been responsible for another eight deaths dating back to 2016.