Foresters procure ‘OFM’ perfume, hope to snare T1

Nagpur: Finally, the forest department has started using Calvin Klein’s ‘Obsession For Men’, an international brand of perfume, to lure problem tigress T1 of Pandharkawda.
On October 2, TOI was first to report about officials mulling to use this perfume to track T1. Talking to TOI, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF) for wildlife Sunil Limaye confirmed that the perfume is being used “for the last 3 days at strategic locations”.
Wildlife veterinarian Dr Prayag HS from Karnataka had used it in Mandya in Karnataka to lure a leopard and to localize a man-eater tiger in Gudalur in Tamil Nadu.
According to sources, two bottles of Calvin Klein were procured from the US for Rs8,000 by an NGO and handed over to the forest department. “The perfume is being sprayed on a towel so that the scent stays for a few days. The cloth is then placed on tree trunks where camera traps have been installed. It is working nicely,” they claimed.
“For the past over 50 days since the operation to capture it started, T1 has been elusive. By using the perfume we hope to tranquillize it without disturbing it too much. After use of spray, there are reports of regular pugmarks and images in camera traps,” said sources.
However, Vidya Athreya, Pune-based wildlife biologist working for leopards, says, “I do not know it works or not. I only read that other researchers have used it.”
The same perfume is being used to lure K4, a tigress in Chennur division in Telangana. Mancherial district forest officer (DFO) G Ramalingam said, “For the last two days we have started using it. For the last 7-8 months we are tracking K4, which has a snare on her abdomen. We procured two bottles for Rs9,000 and the results are awaited.”
However, Imran Siddiqui, a wildlife biologist working in Telangana, says, “K4 is having no particular preference for obsession. Cats and dogs may check out any smells but it doesn’t necessarily mean it would be a lure or bait to make animals like tigers fall in human traps for such scents.”
Some vets say this perfume is used in international zoos and in Guatemala to study jaguars. “It should also work in case of T1 and make the tigress spend a few minutes investigating the smell. It would provide a window of opportunity for veterinary teams to safely tranquillize the tigress and capture it,” they said.
“Since this is first of its kind attempt. It may be possible that T1 may not be attracted to scents as she has two cubs to feed and protect. Under the circumstances, she may even not be indulging in territory marking. The present experiment can throw some light on tiger behaviour, particularly behaviour of a mother with cubs with respect to scent,” says Limaye.
WILL IT HELP?
* Last-ditch effort to save T1 from being shot
* Will help know tiger behaviour
* Proposed experiment does not involve chasing the tigress which is already on extremely alert
* 125ml of perfume was procured for Rs3,500. More bottles are expected
* CAT Specialists Group of IUCN used it for studies on jaguars to know population densities