A man has been mauled to death by a lion he kept in cages near his home in the Czech Republic.
Michal Prasek’s body was found inside the animal's homemade cage by his father, who told local media it had been locked from inside.
The 33-year-old owned a pair of lions that he kept for breeding purposes although, according to local media, he didn’t have the required permits.
Following the incident, police shot both animals in order to get to Prasek.
Both animals were in separate pens.
Prasek caused a stir in his village when he bought the male lion from Slovakia in 2016, according to Reuters.
The BBC BBC reported that Prasek had been fined for illegal breeding, but the lions couldn’t be removed from his property because there was no evidence of animal cruelty and a lack of alternative facilities for the big cats.
He attracted local media attention last summer when a cyclist collided with his lioness as he was walking her on a leash, the outlet reported. Police deemed the incident a traffic accident.
This article appeared in USA Today
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