Could a gladiator kill a cheetah?

Question

My friend an I are having a disagreement over whether a gladiator from ancient rome could kill a male cheetah if it was let out on him?

A gladiator could not kill a lion, but could he kill a cheetah?

Answer 1

Certainly. Gladiators fought and killed much bigger and more powerful animals than cheetahs - tigers and lions, for example. A tiger can weigh up to 660lb and a lion 550lb. A cheetah weighs only around 160lb, and is naturally shy and wary of humans - there is no record of a healthy cheetah ever attacking a person, whereas there are numerous cases of man-eating tigers and lions. Cheetahs are also generally non-aggressive. They rely on speed to hunt, and cannot risk injury that would prevent them hunting - they therefore prefer to run away than get into a fight.

Answer 2

I think he can without any problem.

Answer 3

i think it would be a win some, lose some. if the gladiator was experienced in battle, or was a slave from africa who grew up killing lions, cheetahs, etc. then most likely he would. i think it would also depend if they surprised him w/ it(like gladiator). people kill even the biggest animals w/o guns. i think the best answer is that it would be situational.

Answer 4

Well they would probably starve the cheetah like they did with lions which would make it attempt to kill the human as a prey source.   I think it would be POSSIBLE that the gladiator could kill a cheetah but the cheetah would still have the advantage I'm sure.   Just like a gladiator COULD get lucky and kill the lion but the lion would be have the obvious advantage in that match.