Q&A for How to Survive a Tiger Attack

If escape is not an option, your best bet is to stand your ground. Ensure you are facing the tiger and making noise and trying to act as confident as possible.

No. Shouting or antagonizing a tiger in any way, shape or form is always going to end up ugly.

The tiger is territorial and will be more focused on you, the intruder, than on the small red dot. Pointing the laser into its eyes might confuse it temporarily.

No, you should not throw anything at the tiger, as it will take it as an act of aggression, to which it will respond with aggression.

A tiger will typically attack from behind. They are hunters that rely on stealth to catch their prey.

Fire is a foreign concept to tigers, so it would be an asset when fending off a tiger. However, they are not as afraid of fire as popular culture would have you believe.

This would be considered an act of aggression and would provoke the tiger, so it is probably not a good idea unless you have no options left.

No, do not stick your arm in a tiger's mouth. Try aiming for its weaker spots, like the eyes or its nose, and use whatever you have to defend yourself. If you have a knife, use it and aim for the throat. You can also use a a branch or a rock. And protect your neck, as it is the part of the body the tiger is usually aiming for.

Tigers have very sensitive hearing, so the airhorn will be painful and should be able to keep them away.

You risk getting a serious infection. Tigers have a lot of bacteria on their teeth. You should seek medical treatment right away.

No.

An injured tiger is likely to be more aggressive, because it knows it is weak and will try to eliminate all potential threats immediately on sight.

Yes, but there are a lot of factors involved. If your life was in danger (and you did not willingly or foolishly put yourself in the position to be attacked), you will most likely not face charges.

It will most likely end up attacking you. You should never go anywhere near a wild tiger!

No, a tiger could easily kill any dog, and this would only serve to distract the tiger briefly.

Tigers are solo hunters, so more tigers in one area could mean they are fighting or perhaps mating. Either way, you would need to show your dominance. But in that situation escape should be the top priority, as the tigers will be more aggressive if mating or fighting other tigers.

Yes, if you can keep the gun in hand enough to get a shot off AND to get the bullet in the right place to actually kill it. But there's risk of injuring the tiger, and if you injure it, it could make matters worse for you.

As stated above, tigers are very protective over their young, so even if you did rescue her cub, just by virtue of being around it she would view you as a threat and react with aggression. So, as heartless as it sounds, you would be better off leaving the cub alone.

Keep the doors locked and the windows rolled up. Since you are still in the car, you have the ability to drive away. A car can go much faster than a tiger can. If someone has been bitten by a tiger and is in your car then drive to the nearest medical center. Finally, if the tiger is in your car, run.

Better than a human, I believe. However, their sense of smell may exceed their sense of hearing.

That's very true. But if you kill a tiger in self-defense, you will be okay.

No. Throwing rocks could be taken as a sign of aggression, leading the tiger to attack you.

Not much, except those natural disasters like fire and flooding, and somewhat of elephants and even other tigers. Tigers don't like it when another animal can fight back; they prefer an animal that will run away in fear.

Tigers hunt alone, not in a pack, so you won't have to worry about a large number attacking at the same time, like you would with a pack of wolves.

A tiger primarily is nocturnal, and can see six times better in the dark than humans.

No, big cats are good swimmers, tigers especially. You'd be better off climbing a tree.

Tigers are much, much stronger than humans.

Yes, you could try that if you were in a tight spot with a tiger.

Don't come out of the water. Your entire body should be in the water, only your head should be on the surface. Never float on the surface of the water when the tiger is nearby. This will invite tiger to attack you as your whole body is visible to him. If you can safely do so, try to swim out far away from the shore/bank.

A tiger can run between 30 and 45 miles per hour, but only in short bursts. It gets tired easily and can't afford to run that fast all the time, luckily!