Man mauled to death by lion he kept caged in his back garden

 [Photo: Courtesy]

A man has been mauled to death by a lion that he kept in the backyard of his home in eastern Czech Republic.

Michal Prasek's body was found in the lion's cage by his father on Tuesday morning.

It's reported that the 34-year-old man owned the nine-year-old lion and a two-year-old lioness for breeding.

The animals, living in separate pens, were both shot dead by police.

Czech police spokesperson Lenka Javorkova said the lions had been locked inside the enclosures.

She explained that the shootings were 'absolutely necessary for them to get to the man'.

The breeder bought the lion in 2016 and the lioness in 2018 and kept the lions in a home-made enclosure in his back garden in the village of Zdchov.

 Michal Prasek bought the lion in 2016 and kept it in his back yard [Photo: Courtesy]

Mr. Prasek's father noticed his son lying motionless in the enclosure from security camera footage and alerted the police at around 6 am.

The spokesperson said: "The police had to shoot the two lions dead. A doctor then declared the owner dead."

According to local reports, people in the village had expressed concern about the presence of the animals in Mr. Prasek's back yard.

Last June, a cyclist was injured after colliding with the lioness when Mr. Prasek took it out for a walk on a leash.

However, the incident was deemed a traffic accident after the intervention by police.

"Today's incident will perhaps finally help to resolve this long-term problem," said Zd?chov mayor Tomas Kocourek.