Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
Contents
Chapter Eleven
Overview
Pi recounts a 1933 Zurich Zoo escape in which a female black leopard survives for ten weeks in winter without harming anyone, only to be found and shot while hiding under a barn. He uses the incident to argue that escaped zoo animals are not rampaging threats but frightened creatures trying to stay unseen and adapt. The chapter reinforces Pi’s larger theme that public fear of “escaped” animals is often irrational and misplaced.
Summary
Pi presents a real example to support his claim that escaped zoo animals are usually not dangerous: a female black leopard escaped from the Zurich Zoo in winter 1933 after showing signs of conflict with a male leopard and slipping through broken roof bars.
Zurich residents panic at the idea of a wild carnivore loose among them, setting traps and releasing hunting dogs, but the search produces little besides killing local half-wild dogs. For ten weeks no one finds any trace of the leopard.
Eventually, a casual labourer discovers the leopard hiding beneath a barn twenty-five miles away and shoots it; roe-deer remains are found nearby. Pi argues that the leopard’s ability to survive unseen for more than two months in a Swiss winter proves escaped zoo animals typically avoid people and focus on finding a way to fit in.
Pi broadens the point by insisting this is only one case among many, claiming that cities can hide surprising numbers of exotic animals. He mockingly notes how misguided people’s expectations can be about where such animals might be found.
Who Appears
- Pi PatelNarrator; argues escaped zoo animals usually hide and are not inherently dangerous.
- Female black leopardEscapes Zurich Zoo in 1933; survives unseen for ten weeks before being shot.
- Citizens of ZurichReact with fear, set traps, and release hunting dogs after the leopard escapes.
- Casual labourerFinds the leopard under a barn twenty-five miles away and shoots it.
- Male leopardCagemate implicated in possible fighting that precedes the female’s escape.