This document summarizes research testing the effectiveness of scent lures and hair snares for collecting samples from captive jaguars. Four scent lures were tested on 7 jaguars: Calvin Klein Obsession perfume elicited the most cheek rubbing and highest investigation, making it the most promising lure. A hair snare design using grooming brush pads collected over 300 hairs on average from jaguars. While more testing is needed with wild jaguars, this research provides a potential non-invasive method for collecting DNA samples to study wild jaguar populations.

1. ISSN 1027-2992
CATnews
N° 59 | AUTUMN 2013

2. CATnews 59 Autumn 2013
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original contribution
LUCRECIA M. MYERS1*
and MARTIN B. MAIN1
Test of scent lures and hair
snares for captive jaguars and
implications for field use
Hair snares are an effective noninvasive method to survey carnivores, but they have
not been used to study jaguars Panthera onca. We evaluated the effectiveness of
4 scent lures for attracting jaguars and promoting cheek-rubbing behavior, and a
hair snare design for the collection of hair samples with 7 captive jaguars. We re-
corded latency time (time from entering the enclosure to inspection), investigation
time (time spent investigating), and behavior score (interaction with treatments or
control) to evaluate scent lures. Our results revealed that Calvin Klein Obsession
perfume for women (CK) elicited the most cheek-rubbing events and the highest
behavior scores. Other scent lures were less effective (Hawbaker Wildcat No.2,
catnip oil) or ineffective (bobcat urine) at promoting cheek-rubbing behavior and
had lower behavior scores. Our hair snare model was effective at collecting sam-
ples with the mean hair count being 312 (95% CI = 145-478). Our results indicated
that CK was effective at promoting investigation and cheek rubbing by jaguars in
a captive setting and that the hair-snare design was effective at collecting hair
samples. However, further testing in the field is needed to validate the use of this
technique for wild jaguars.
Hair snares are a noninvasive survey me-
thod that collects hair samples from mam-
mals, from which DNA may be extracted
and used to identify individuals and monitor
populations (Garshelis 2006, Schwartz et al.
2006). Advantages of hair snares are that
they are inexpensive, easy to deploy in the
field, do not suffer from mechanical prob-
lems, and are unlikely to be stolen. Hair sna-
res have been successfully used to survey
various carnivores, including wild felids such
as the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx (Schmidt & Ko-
walczyk 2006) and bobcat Lynx rufus (Ruell
& Crooks 2007). Hair snares for felids are
sprayed with scent lures intended to induce
rubbing and facilitate the collection of hair
samples (McDaniel et al. 2000, Kendall &
McKelvey 2008).
The selection of a hair snare model and lure
depends on the ecology and behavior of the
target species (Kendall & McKelvey 2008,
Schlexer 2008). Although scent lures have
been reported to elicit rubbing behaviors in
carnivores (Reiger 1979), quantitative infor-
mation available as to which scent lures are
most effective at promoting cheek-rubbing
in jaguars is lacking and hair snares have
not been used to study jaguars. If available,
an effective hair snare and lure combinati-
on for collecting jaguar DNA could be used
to conduct surveys and measure population
parameters, such as genetic diversity, habitat
use, and population density. Although camera
traps are a valuable monitoring method, me-
chanical failures often occur in areas of high
humidity and theft and vandalism may pose
problems in areas with human activity (Sa-
lomon-Perez et al. 2007, M. Main, University
of Florida, personal observation). Hair snares
may provide an alternative methodology for
studying jaguars in areas of high human ac-
tivity. The objectives of this study were to test
the relative effectiveness of 4 commercially
available scent lures for attracting jaguars
and promoting cheek-rubbing behavior with
captive jaguars under controlled settings. We
also tested the effectiveness of a hair-snare
design that can be easily deployed, maintai-
ned, and replaced and that does not rely on
nails and barb wire for the collection of hair
samples.
Methods
We tested scent lures and the hair snare de-
sign with 7 captive jaguars at the Jacksonvil-
le Zoo and Gardens, Florida, between 5 De-
cember 2008 and 30 January of 2009. Scent
lure tests were conducted under controlled
settings in rectangular enclosures (90 m2
)
surrounded by chain-link fence and separated
from public view. Hair-snares were tested in
a similar enclosure except 2 stationary verti-
cal logs (140 cm x 90 cm) were included to
which hair snares were attached. Five female
and 2 male jaguars 3-16 years of age were
used in our tests. Three were captive born
(1 male, 2 females) and 4 were wild caught
in South America. We tested one jaguar at
a time, excluded other jaguars from the area
during testing, and did not conduct tests
when it rained.
Scent-Lure Testing
We evaluated the effectiveness of 4 com-
mercially available scent lures: Hawbaker’s
Wildcat No.2 (HW), Calvin Klein Obsession
perfume for women (CK), artificial bobcat uri-
ne (BU), and catnip oil (CT). We tested HW
due to its reported use for attracting jaguars
to camera-traps in South America (J. San-
derson, personal communication), BU and
CT because Harrison (1997) reported them
to attract Central American felids, and CK
because it was used to attract carnivores in
Mexico (Castro-Arellano et al. 2008).
We tested effectiveness of scent lures using
a modified experiment after Harrison (1997).
We conducted choice experiments by atta-
ching paper coffee filters (13.3 cm) to 2 peg-
boards (25 × 31 cm) separated by approxima-
tely 2 m and secured to the fence surrounding
the enclosure. Treatments and controls were
placed at the same end of the enclosure op-
posite the entrance to ensure both had an
equal chance of being visited. One coffee
filter was treated with 2 ml of lure and the
other was an untreated control. Trials lasted
30 minutes and were conducted every other
day. Each treatment had 2 replicates, for a
total of 12 trials per jaguar. Six jaguars com-
pleted 12 scent-lure trials, but zookeepers
stopped testing of one female after 7 scent-
lure trials due to pregnancy.
We recorded latency time (time from ente-
ring the enclosure to inspection of treatment
or control), investigation time (time spent
investigating treatment or control) and be-
havior score (represented the interaction
with treatment or control) for each jaguar
by filming each trial with a Sony DCR-TRV
280 Digital 8 Camcorder with 20X digital
zoom (Sony, New York, NY). Video footage
was analyzed in the lab. We assigned be-
havior scores from 0-9 with 1-point each for
behaviors that included sniffing, rolling, vo-
calizing, extending paw to touch, urinating,
and licking, and 3 points for cheek-rubbing.
Harrison (1997) used a similar scoring sys-
tem, except he didn’t include cheek-rubbing
behavior because his scent lures were lo-
cated out of reach of jaguars. We included
cheek-rubbing behavior and assigned it a
higher score because of its importance for
collecting hair samples.

4. CATnews 59 Autumn 2013
34
test of scent lures and hair snares for captive ­jaguars
Fig. 1. Hair-snare design tested with jaguars at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Flori-
da. Photo taken by Lucrecia M. Myers
Hair-snare Testing
We tested a hair-snare made from the hair
grooming component (5 × 12.5 cm sheet of
grooming prongs on a rubber pad) from the
X-Large Soft Slicker Brush (Pet Smart, Phoen-
ix, AZ). Two brush pads were combined to cre-
ate a 12 × 14 cm hair snare that was tacked
at 55 cm above the ground to vertical logs
located at opposite ends of the enclosure (Fig
1). During each trial, one hair snare was tre-
ated with CK and one was an untreated con-
trol. We used CK because our results indica-
ted CK was the most promising scent lure for
promoting cheek rubbing. We did not test the
other lures because the project was stopped
to isolate the area for the pregnant jaguar
and upcoming birth. All hair-snare trials were
conducted for a period of 30 minutes.
Hair-snare tests were conducted with 6 of the
7 jaguars, the pregnant female being excluded
from all hair-snare trials. The order of testing
was randomized. We performed 2 replicates
witheachanimal,foratotalof12trials.During
each trial, we recorded latency time and total
time spent cheek rubbing. After each trial we
collected all hair which was stored, labeled,
and later counted (Amato et al. 2006).
Results
Scent-Lure Testing
Mean latency time was 163.2 seconds (95%
CI = 95.5-228.9) for treatments. Mean latency
time for controls was 121.3 seconds (95% CI
= 70.9-171.8). Investigation time was highest
for HW with 60.6 seconds (95% CI = 16.9-
104.3), followed by CT with 55.8 seconds
(95% CI = 14.6-96.0), CK with 34.9 seconds
(95% CI = 13.8-56.0) and BU with 17.4 se-
conds (95% CI = 3.9-30.9). Average jaguar
behavior scores were highest for CK with a
score of 3 (95% CI = 2.0-3.9), followed by CT
with 2.5 (95% CI = 1.5-3.4), HW with 2 (95%
CI = 1.1-2.9) and BU with 1.2 (95% CI = 0.8-
1.6).
Jaguars were only observed cheek-rubbing
on scent lures and never on untreated con-
trols. Most cheek-rubbing events were eli-
cited by CK (N = 8). Mean total time spent
cheek rubbing was greatest for CT with 13.3
sec and CK with 12.3 sec. If an outlier of 142
seconds was removed from the CT data,
mean total cheek-rubbing time decreased to
6.1 seconds. Jaguars did not cheek rub on fil-
ters treated with BU or HW.
Hair-Snare Testing
We used CK as the scent lure during hair-
snare testing because it elicited the highest
behavior scores and the most cheek-rubbing
events, and jaguars did not chew filters or
pegboards sprayed with CK as was observed
with CT. Jaguars visited treated hair snares
in 15 of 18 (83%) trials and performed cheek-
rubbing behavior in 6 (33%) of those. Mean
latency time for visiting hair snares was 39.2
seconds (95% CI = 19.9-58.5). Jaguars never
visited unscented controls. Mean cheek-
rubbing time for each visit was 47.3 seconds
(95% CI = 3.8-90.7) and the mean number of
hairs collected was 312 (95% CI = 145-478,
range = 85-985). Only wild-caught jaguars en-
gaged in cheek-rubbing behavior.
Discussion
Comparisons among scent lures suggested
CK may be an effective hair snare lure for ja-
guars. CK had the shortest mean latency time
and elicited the highest behavior score and
the greatest number of cheek-rubbing events,
which is the most important behavior to elicit
from felids for collection of hair samples. Ja-
guars only performed cheek-rubbing behavior
with scent lures and never with untreated
lures, which is consistent with the observa-
tion that certain smells elicit scent marking
behaviors in felids that include cheek rubbing
(Kleiman & Eisenberg 1973).