rome


Exotic and fierce wild animals had to be imported to Rome from North Africa or the Near East. The usual method was to have bush beaters and men on horseback chase lions, panthers, leopards, and other large animals into an area surrounded by shields and nets, such as is depicted in this mosaic from North Africa. Note that pens, full of animals normally preyed on by large cats, are placed behind the trap as bait. Once the animals were cornered they were backed into crates by beaters using torches and protected by shields. A leopard seems to be running into one of these crates, but not all these trapped animals were that cooperative. Below we see a beater for whom a shield was not sufficient protection.