Perfume is enlisted
in hunt for cat on Maui
MAKAWAO, Maui » State officials hope the scent of Calvin Klein's Obsession for Women will attract a mysterious big cat that has been seen roaming in a rural community on Maui.
The perfume apparently is preferred by cats and is being used on "scent-rub stations" until more effective alternatives arrive on Maui, such as leopard urine, said state wildlife biologist Fern Duvall.
Duvall said the scent is being put on Velcro pads in hopes the cat will rub its body against it and leave its hairs for identification.
Duvall updated Upcountry Maui residents on the search for the cat during an Olinda Homeowners Association meeting attended by more than 45 people at the Eddie Tam Memorial Gym.
The last sighting of a big cat just five yards from an Olinda residence Wednesday is raising worries.
"Frankly, I'm a little bit nervous," said Maui Councilman Michael Molina.
Duvall, who said he believes the animal is more likely to be a leopard than a jaguar, said he is planning to move forward with a plan to hire an expert from the mainland to catch the animal.
"So far it has been shy. It has run away," Duvall said.
Duvall said he has been consulting with Arizona state game official Bill Van Pelt for several weeks.
The Maui Weekly newspaper publisher Joseph Sugarman has offered to pay for Van Pelt's air fare and allow him to stay at his residence.
Duvall is waiting for a supply of leopard urine from Van Pelt's office as well as urine from several other big cats from the Honolulu Zoo, which may also attract the animal.
Duvall said he believes that a deer found dead in lower Olinda was likely killed by a dog. But he said scattered hair and paw prints were found at the site, and because hairs on the skin were licked off or plucked away much like a cat, a big cat could have fed on the remains.
Duvall said based on recent sightings, he believes he knows the general location of the cat, but he has declined to reveal the exact location, fearing human interference in the capture.
He said the cat does appear to be roaming in a 3-mile radius.
