Uh. This is not commonly used... I think it implies being in an unfair competition. Let's put a squirrel (a rodent with a furry tail) against a bear (a big big mammal). (The bear would win.) So you're in a competition where you think you will lose.

I think it's mean "let's put a squirrel into the cage in front of the bear's cage" - perhaps in zoological garden.