Bestiality was a common form of entertainment in the Roman arena - in the words of R. E. L. Masters in "The Prostitutes In Society", mass bestiality, as public display in Rome, was "a phenomenon unique in all of history".

Beasts were specially trained to copulate with women: if the girls or women were unwilling then the animal would attempt rape. A surprising range of creatures was used for such purposes - bulls, giraffes, leopards, cheetahs, wild boar, zebras, stallions, jackasses, huge dogs, apes, etc. The beasts were taught how to copulate with a human being either via the vagina or via the anus.

In the modern world occasional shows are staged where an animal copulates with a woman but there has never been anything comparable to what was seen in the Roman arena.