The Exotic Animal Traffickers of Ancient Rome

[Potoooooooo]

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/03/exotic-animals-ancient-rome/475704/
Thousands of bears, rhinos, leopards, lions, and elephants were killed in the Colosseum—but how did they get there in the first place?

 

[Tigers!]

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/03/exotic-animals-ancient-rome/475704/
Thousands of bears, rhinos, leopards, lions, and elephants were killed in the Colosseum—but how did they get there in the first place?

Presumably via traders who organised to get them captured and exported to Rome.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

In the past, I have read several books that included the animal trade of Rome. It was big business and very well organized for the spectacles that played an important political role in Rome and throughout the empire. The big spectacles involved lots of animals from Africa and India, and there were very well organized companies that specialized in just that. An impressive effort all around.

 

[DrZoidberg]

There was also a hell of a lot more animals to find.

 

[Lumpenproletariat]

Human entertainment + no harm to the animals = It's not wrong, and should be allowed.

https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/03/exotic-animals-ancient-rome/475704/
Thousands of bears, rhinos, leopards, lions, and elephants were killed in the Colosseum—but how did they get there in the first place?

Presumably via traders who organised to get them captured and exported to Rome.

Was it wrong for the Romans to do this? It was educational for the kiddies.

Maybe there should have been some regulations to insure more humane treatment of the animals being shipped.

Should bullfights be illegal?

Why was it wrong for Sea World to use the whales for entertainment? I believe the life-span of their whales was shown to be only a couple years less than average compared to those in the wild. And did the whales suffer?

Shouldn't we assume the whales themselves enjoyed performing?

If it doesn't shorten their lives much, and if there is no suffering, then it should not be banned.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

I'm pretty sure that being stabbed to death in an entertaining way for a crowd both shortens their lives and causes suffering - at least most of the time. Probably over half the cases.

 

[DrZoidberg]

I'm pretty sure that being stabbed to death in an entertaining way for a crowd both shortens their lives and causes suffering - at least most of the time. Probably over half the cases.

In their defense once a creature has been stabbed to death they aren't suffering anymore and won't for eternity. One could say they're doing them a favor

 

[DBT]

Not to mention the stress and fear of capture, kept confined in small cages for extended periods and finally starved for days prior to being killed in the arena, purely for the entertainment of the crowd.

 

[credoconsolans]

The Romans and their local trapper/hunters did an excellent job of capturing animals for the various arenas.

They did so well that they brought to extinction species of lion, bear, elephant, rhino and wild cattle.

They were less successful at keeping them in good health or even alive in some cases. Several ancient Roman writers in mid/latter empire era talk about the pathetic dregs they are offered for a bestiary show (bear cubs not bears, crocodiles on hunger strikes, etc).