Can a human defeat a tiger

Q: Is it possible for a man to defeat a tiger?

If you change the question to: Can a single, average-sized, athletic man armed with a primitive spear and minimal training defeat a lion, tiger, or bear in a fight?” the answer would be yes. He can, but its certainly not assured. A tremendous amount of luck would be required. Its unlikely.

Q: How strong is tiger than human?

The average bite strength of a tiger is 1,050 PSI. Thats about six times stronger than a humans. With all these attributes together, tigers are one of the strongest, if not the strongest, felines in the wild.

Participants of a one-day course at the Gladiator School practice throwing on July 20, 2013, in Trier, Germany.

Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images

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Human Impact
Is it possible for a man to defeat a tiger?
Can a human fight a lion?
How strong is tiger than human?
Can a human fight a leopard?

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Answer by Stefan Pociask, primitive weapons collector and tracking instructor:

This will be fun. You’ll learn about spears! But to that question, the answer is “no.”

If you change the question to: “Can a single, average-sized, athletic man armed with a primitive spear and minimal training defeat a lion, tiger, or bear in a fight?” the answer would be yes. He can, but it’s certainly not assured. A tremendous amount of luck would be required. It’s unlikely.

If you change the question to: “Will a single, average-sized, athletic man armed with a primitive spear and significant training defeat a lion, tiger, or bear in a fight?” the answer would be quite possibly. There have been times past where killing a lion with a spear has been a rite of passage required of young men in certain African tribes. But this was preceded by significant training.

If it was a youngster proving his mettle, it would likely be a long, narrow-bladed spear. If it was a senior warrior out to specifically hunt lion, it would probably be a long leaf-bladed spear, while a junior warrior might use a shorter one. Of course, they didn’t want their children eaten, so a lot of time was put into training before the event. An undertrained person would likely end up as a midday low-fat snack for the lion. Training included tactics, strategy, weapons grip, feints, the psychology and behavior of an opponent, the weaknesses of an opponent, your own frame of mind, and confidence. It also particularly included knowledge of anatomy and the target area—right alongside the neck. Your opportunities for a killing stroke were limited, sometimes to only one. These are all aspects of training that the minimally trained would not have access to.

Here’s something I bet you never heard. An interesting additional and vital weapon they carried was a small stick, sharp on both ends, only about the size of an ink pen. They would carry this in their opposite hand. If (when) the lion got too close and hadn’t dropped yet, that hand was thrust into the lion’s mouth, turned vertical, and jerked up, thereby keeping the lion from closing his mouth and ripping your throat out with his jaws. To say the least, this required exceptional courage! If a lion wasn’t killed, they were told “Don’t come home!” And if they killed a female lion instead of a large maned lion, “You are cursed, and don’t ever come home!” Some didn’t come home anyway—those who lost their cool. To say the least, it must’ve been an absolutely terrifying experience for these boys. This was true man-versus-beast battle in its most primal form. The man’s advantage was minimal and a far cry from today’s high-powered rifles shot across great distances by great white hunters.

Different styles of spears were used in different areas by different tribes. The particular type of spear that was carried was usually associated with a particular status within a tribe.

All this, to point out that spears are more than a sharp stick. They have functions and different styles for different uses. So weapons choice is also a factor, and “primitive spear” is pretty ambiguous. Spears, by their nature, are primitive; but by their design, they are quite advanced.

Now, the question mentions a number of very different species. The basic answer to all is pretty much the same. Skilled training is required, specific to the opponent, and certainty of a kill is never assured, although the ratio of success is very much reliant on the amount of training—and bravery.

Will a single average-sized athletic man armed with a primitive spear and minimal training defeat a lion, tiger, or bear in a fight? originally appeared on Quora. More questions on Quora:

Asiatic wild dogs called dholes may prey upon tigers but these rare attacks are usually countered with drastic losses to the dholes' pack. Humans are the greatest threat to all tiger populations.

Human Impact

The main threats to tiger populations today are habitat loss/fragmentation and poaching.

Habitat Loss and fragmentation occurs when land is modified for agricultural purposes, logging, and land conversion for grazing domestic animals. The rapidly growing human population has reduced the number of viable tiger habitats. The human population in India alone has increased by nearly 50% since 1973 with a total population in 1995 estimated to be about 931 million. Prime tiger habitats, such as forests and grasslands, are being converted for agricultural needs. Between 1980 and 1990 in Asia, about 470,000 square km (181,467 square mi) of forest were lost. It is estimated that deforestation will continue at a rate of 47,000 square km (18,147 square mi) per year.

Tigers require large interconnected tracts of suitable habitat to maintain healthy breeding populations. The conversion of land for agricultural purposes creates wide expanses of open land in which may isolate tiger populations from one another. In addition to the reduced genetic variability, fragmentation may also lead to more aggressive encounters between tigers due to the increased competition for resources and mates.

Poaching is the illegal killing of an animal. Tigers are poached for two main reasons: their threat or perceived threat to wildlife and/or people and monetary gain. Historically tigers were poached for furs. While there is still some sold illegally, increased public awareness campaigns and international trade controls have reduced this demand. Tigers may prey upon agricultural animals and have been illegally shot at or poisoned by consuming baited carcasses. However, tigers are mainly poached for their bones and other body parts which are in great demand for traditional Chinese medicines. See Tiger Medicine section below.

Illegal trade commerce is difficult to control because poaching networks are well organized and countries in which tigers live often do not have resources available to hire, equip and train law enforcement officers.

Tiger Medicine

Traditional Chinese medicines have utilized tiger bones for thousands of years because it is thought to calm fright and cure ulcers, bites, rheumatism, convulsions and burns. Over 110 pharmaceutical factories in 1985 were producing medicines with tiger components. The value of tiger bone varies by locality, however it is estimated that poachers receive about $130 per kilogram (2.2 pounds) in Nepal, $130 to $175 per kilogram in Vietnam and as much as $300 per kilogram in Russia. It is estimated that one complete tiger skeleton is valued at ten years’ worth of salary in seven nations within the tiger's range. This high demand has made tiger bones more valuable than their skin.

Is it possible for a man to defeat a tiger?

If you change the question to: “Can a single, average-sized, athletic man armed with a primitive spear and minimal training defeat a lion, tiger, or bear in a fight?” the answer would be yes. He can, but it's certainly not assured. A tremendous amount of luck would be required. It's unlikely.

Can a human fight a lion?

No, an unarmed human could not beat a lion in a fight. Even if a human came upon a sleeping lion, their chances of killing it would be laughably small. Humans aren't going to knock out a lion with a kick or punch in one shot. They're also not going to strangle a lion to death.

How strong is tiger than human?

The average bite strength of a tiger is 1,050 PSI. That's about six times stronger than a human's. With all these attributes together, tigers are one of the strongest, if not the strongest, felines in the wild.

Can a human fight a leopard?

It is possible for humans to win a fight against a leopard, as in the case of a 56-year-old woman who killed an attacking leopard with a sickle and spade, and survived with heavy injuries, and the case of a 73-year-old man in Kenya who fatally tore the tongue out of a leopard.