Chapter 8

Pi's father had a sign near the entrance of the zoo that read, "Do you know which is the most dangerous animal in the zoo?" Next to the sign was a curtain with a mirror behind it. Zookeepers consider man (humans) the most dangerous threat to the zoo. The danger is manifest in man's cruelty toward the animals. Pi goes on to list incidences of foreign and dangerous objects that have been fed to zoo animals throughout history. Fortunately, at his father's zoo, they had few incidences of animal cruelty. Pi tells the story of a snake charmer who tried to steal a cobra and a woman who dangled her sari in the lion's cage thinking they ate only meat. Visitors to the zoo are responsible for performing a great deal of horrible things with the animals, declaring humans as the worst of all animals. He again mentions Richard Parker and the folly of anthropomorphizing animals and humans.Pi’s father at one point decided to display the danger of animals to Pi and Ravi. He shows the boys a tiger that has not been fed for three days, a standard condition in the wild. Watching what occurs when a goat is introduced to the cage scares “the living vegetarian daylights” out of him. His father goes on to describe the strength of every animal in the zoo against human beings, that is of course except guinea pigs.