Man killed by lion he kept in backyard enclosure
A man has been mauled to death by a pet lion he kept in an enclosure in a village in the Czech Republic.
Police were called to the site in Zdechov on Tuesday morning (local time), when they found two lions in a cage.
After assessing the situation with experts from a nearby zoo, they shot dead the nine-year-old lion that killed the man, as well as a lioness.
Michal Prasek with the lion that turned on him at the enclosure in his Czech Republic home. Facebook
Police said the victim of the attack was the 33-year-old owner, Michal Prasek.
Veterinary authorities said the man had been previously denied permission to keep lions - and it is believed he had been fined for illegally trying to breed them.
Mr Prasek was in the news last summer when a cyclist collided with the lioness as he took her for a walk on a leash, reports the BBC.
World Animal Protection, an animal welfare organisation, said the death was a tragic example of "why wild animals such as big cats, are absolutely not to be kept as pets".
Prasek with the lioness he also kept despite being denied permission. Supplied
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