Scientists use Calvin Klein cologne to lure
jaguars
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GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters Life!) – Biologists tracking jaguars in
the
Guatemalan
jungle might smell nice but it's all in the name
of science, with researchers finding the Calvin Klein cologne
Obsession for Men attracts big cats.
Biologists Rony Garcia and Jose Moreira from the Wildlife
Conservation Society's (WCS) Jaguar Conservation Program say they
use hidden cameras as a primary source for observing and tracking
jaguars in Guatemala's Maya Biosphere Reserve.
But they also rely on Obsession for Men, a cologne known for its
complex scent, to help lure then research and hopefully ultimately
preserve jaguars in the Central American country.
"The method we are using to study the jaguars here in Guatemala
is a non-invasive method which is based on photographing the
individuals by using camera traps," Moreira told Reuters
Television.
"It has been very useful using Obsession (for Men) to get the
jaguars in front of these camera traps ... and that allows us to
estimate with greater confidence the genders and the numbers that
live in each studied site."
The discovery that Obsession for Men acted as a magnet for
jaguars was the result of an experiment by the WCS's Bronx Zoo in
New York.
The WCS was looking for ways to get cheetahs in front of camera
traps, and, after several years of testing with different
fragrances, found spraying the musky Obsession For Men near the
heat-and-motion-sensitive cameras drew the cats for longer than
other scents.
They also tried out about 23 other fragrances but Obsession for
Men kept the cats' attention for longest with Nina Ricci's L'Air du
Temps coming second.
The practice made its way down to Guatemala, where Garcia and
Moreira said they have been recording similar success in the wild
since 2007, allowing them to track jaguars and even record their
mating rituals.
Garcia said the results will be invaluable to conservation
efforts.
"These camera traps help us to identify how many jaguars are
living in this area ... (and) helps us to have control over the
population and lets us say to the government, to the public, that
Laguna del Tigre still deserves conservation," he said.
The WCS said it tentatively plans to expand the use of the
cologne in programs in Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru and
Ecuador in coming years.
(Writing by Reuters Television, Editing by Belinda
Goldsmith)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_jaguars_calvinklein;_ylt=AkSTEl_XIgnARFrAUYOkBBQDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTJycTM4c2hyBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNjEwL3VzX2phZ3VhcnNfY2Fsdmlua2xlaW4EcG9zAzIEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNzY2llbnRpc3RzdXM-
So remember if you decide to go on
a Safari, make sure you don't use Obsession for Men 
