# why does tiger not kill man who pulls tiger's tooth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177 "2017-12-24T01:03:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/1 "2017-12-24T01:03:30Z")
Referencing [this video,](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUCiSHwgHj8) in which a man yanks out a tiger’s tooth with a pair of pliers. The tooth is obviously loose, but the tiger doesn’t appear to be obviously drugged; he’s active and alert, so it doesn’t seem like there’s a systemic narcotic drug in effect, at least not one that would eliminate pain, and it seems doubtful that one could successfully administer a local anesthetic without losing a hand. I would expect significant pain when the tooth gets yanked, followed by a first-rate mauling, but the tiger barely protests. So why is this tiger so easy-going? ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/2 "2017-12-24T01:09:20Z")
It seems clear that the tiger is owned by this man as a pet, and was perhaps raised from a cub by him. Any animal develops a bond with its owner. My guess is that this tiger had a strong enough emotional bond with its owner that it wasn’t angered enough to want to hurt him. Note that he does bite him on the arm, but it’s not a vicious bite with true intent to harm, it’s just a “soft” bite. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/3 "2017-12-24T03:39:59Z")
It looks like a youngish tiger. Maybe it was a baby tooth, whose roots have already dissolved. ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/4 "2017-12-24T07:38:16Z")
I’ve seen this video before. Note the size of the tiger, it is a young one. THe person is, in fact, pulling a baby tooth out. It hurts as much as you pulling a baby tooth out of your kids mouth. Note at 28 seconds the formation of the tooth…see that it is hollow and the root is dissolved/missing. This is what a baby tooth of a feline looks like. I’ve dissected lots of cats, and one of them had teeth just like this that I pulled out…only smaller. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/5 "2017-12-24T11:57:52Z")
His mouth was probably too sore to bite anything. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/6 "2017-12-24T13:22:58Z")
So what does the Tooth Fairy leave to tigers, catnip? I doubt it’ll have much use for a quarter. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/7 "2017-12-24T13:37:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > So what does the Tooth Fairy leave to tigers, catnip? I doubt it’ll have much use for a quarter. [Big cats get catnip.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tklx3j7kgJY) ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/8 "2017-12-24T15:39:56Z")
Is this some sort of Zen koan? A broken mirror never reflects again; fallen flowers never go back to the old branches. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-tiger-not-kill-man-who-pulls-tigers-tooth/805177/9 "2017-12-28T00:40:31Z")
What I heard when someone asked this before was that the guy actually has been hurt before, but is one of those who insists on treating wild animals as domesticated.