Hundreds of years ago, there were no such things as zoos. Some very rich people collected animals from far away places, and kept them in cages on their properties, but they didn't know much about the animals. Other animals, like lions and tigers, were used in circuses, to entertain people. The people used to come to see them, to get a feeling of being scared about getting close to dangerous wild animals.

Thousands of years ago, in Roman times, animals such as tigers and lions were used in Roman amphitheatres like the Circus Maximus. Gladiators, or sometimes criminals, were put in the ring to fight these animals until either the animal or the person died. This was entertainment for the people of the city, who all came to watch.