The Roman Coliseum originally had a 9-foot barrier separating the arena from the spectators, but it was later raised to 15 feet after a tiger cleared the wall and began attacking people in the stands. The Coliseum featured many exotic animals, some of which are now extinct. The Caspian tiger, which was likely featured in Roman games, ranged from Eastern Turkey to Southeast Asia and was officially declared extinct in 2003.

The Caspian tiger had narrower stripes than other tigers and tended towards cinnamon or deep brown. Female tigers were captured by sneaking into their dens and stealing their cubs. The barber lion, which was used for entertainment and executing condemned criminals in the Coliseum, was a population of extinct Asiatic lions native to North Africa ranging from Egypt to Morocco. The barber lion differed from the African lion in that it was smaller and had a shorter, darker mane.