Roman mosaic showing a tigress and a donkey
In Roman times, hunters while tring to catch tigers1 avoided direct fighting. Instead, they used a trick to steal small tigers from the lair.
The hunter on the horse was heading to the ship, knowing that the mother would certainly follow her young. As soon as the tigress approached the rider, he let the young ones out, which mother then brought back to the lair.
When the tigress again reached the hunter, he released the second baby-tiger. When the hunter managed to reach the ship, the female was caught and transported to the amphitheaters.
Footnotes
- These were Caspian tigers, which lived in present eastern Turkey, Iran, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Sources
- Winniczuk Lidia, Ludzie, zwyczaje i obyczaje starożytnej Grecji i Rzymu, PWN, Warszawa
