Pi develops a habit of cleaning up after Richard Parker whenever the tiger defecates in the lifeboat. The task is dangerous, requiring Pi to nudge the feces toward himself with the gaff and retrieve them from the tarpaulin, even though feces can carry parasites.

Pi explains that in zoos, enclosures are cleaned mainly to prevent animals from reinfecting themselves by eating their own waste. Hygiene is not Pi’s real motive, especially since Richard Parker becomes severely constipated within weeks and defecates only about once a month.

Pi cleans up for a psychological reason: the first time Richard Parker relieves himself, the tiger tries to hide the feces. Pi interprets this as a sign of deference, because openly displaying feces would signal dominance.

To reinforce his own dominance, Pi performs an intimidating ritual while Richard Parker growls nervously—rolling the feces in his hand, sniffing them loudly, staring aggressively in short bursts, and blowing menacingly on the whistle associated with the tiger’s training. The tactic works: Richard Parker never stares back, and Pi feels “mastery in the making,” though the encounters leave him exhausted and exhilarated.

Pi then notes that he, too, becomes constipated from their shared diet—too little water and too much protein. When Pi finally relieves himself, it happens only monthly and is a prolonged, painful ordeal that leaves him sweating and utterly spent.