The Society for Animal Rights, Inc., called last week for a nationwide boycott of Chanel No. 5 perfume on the ground that the civet cat musk oil used as one ingredient is obtained from animals allegedly treated cruelly.

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Mr. Platt said that the civet cats were caught near their burrows in Ethiopian jungles and placed in cages barely long enough for them to turn around in.

He said musk oil was obtained from an external glandular sac in the genital area with a spoon after the cage door was pressed down on the animal's back to force its legs apart.

Although published reports in Australia quoted Jacques Leal, chairman of Chanel, Ltd., London, as having said that the civet cats were “whipped” to anger the animal and make it give off more musk oil, Mr. Platt said his organization found this was not true.