A hunter shot and killed the female tiger with a single bullet, after the animal had charged at a forest ranger who fired a tranquilising dart at her.
A team of more than 150 people had spent months searching for T-1, using a paraglider and dozens of infrared cameras while sharpshooters had ridden on the backs of elephants.
The big cat, given the nickname T-1, was coaxed out of hiding in forests in Maharashtra, central India, in using a men's cologne known as Obsession For Men. Experts said the fragrance contained civetone which would make tigers seek out the source of the smell, rolling around and taking huge sniffs. A villager said, "Whatever is in that, cats love it. They just seem to be in absolute heaven."
Local villagers celebrated the tiger's death with firecrackers but animal rights groups have called the killing unethical. India's Supreme Court issued a hunting order for the tiger in September, ruling that she could be killed if tranquilizers failed. Forestry officials were forced to admit that no vet was present during the hunt, as required by the Supreme Court order.
Although India has launched a major campaign to boost tiger numbers, urban spread (as the population of 1.25 billion continues to grow) has increasingly eaten into the territory of wild animals.
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