A Czech man was mauled to death by a lion he illegally kept as a pet.
ADVERTISEMENTA Czech man who kept two lions as pets died from wounds inflicted by one of the felines, according to local police.
Michal Prasek, who lived in the eastern village of Zdechov in the Czech Republic, was attacked and killed by a nine-year-old male lion.
The 34-year-old kept two lions, a male and a female, without any authorisation from the local veterinary services in a cage built without a building permit.
"I can confirm the death of the breeder," police spokeswoman Lenka Javorkova told AFP news agency, adding that the two lions had been killed.
Police were alerted to the incident by Prasek's father who saw his son's body lying inside the enclosure through a security camera.
A doctor who rushed to the scene of the accident was the first to "pronounce the man as dead," according to police, who added that the two animals never left the enclosure following the incident.
Prasek had been raising the male lion since 2016 and acquired the lioness last year. Many of Zdechov's residents were concerned by the presence of the animals.
In June, Prasek's female lion made headlines after she attacked a cyclist while on a walk on a leash.