A Czech man has been mauled to death by a lion he was keeping caged in the back yard of his family home.

33-year-old Michael Prasek first bought the lion for breeding purposes back in 2016, and kept two of the big cats in the garden of his house in the village of Zdechov. The 9-year-old lioness tore Prasek apart and then left his remains inside the cage. Prasek's father was the first person to discover that he was dead, after he saw his son's body inside the animal enclosure at around 6 am on Tuesday, March 5. The cage was locked from the inside.

Michael's father quickly called the police, who arrived on the scene and were forced to shoot and kill the two lions in an attempt to retrieve Prasek's corpse. Regional police spokeswoman Lenka Javorkova stated to local news reporters that: "I can confirm the breeder is dead. The police had to shoot the two lions dead. A doctor then declared the owner dead," while adding that killing the lions was "absolutely necessary for them to get to the man."

This isn't the first time that Prasek has caught the attention of authorities. Back in 2012, Prasek required hospitalisation and surgery after being attacked by a lion he'd been feeding while living in Slovakia. He told reporters: "It was just my fault that the lion attacked me. I made a professional mistake. Like every morning I went to feed it, but this time I put on a coat that smelled of dogs."

Not only that, but in the summer of 2018 a cyclist crashed into Prasek's lion while he was out walking it on a leash, but incredibly the cyclist was only suffered minor scratches as a result, and police at the time made the bizarre decision to charge Prasek as being involved in a traffic accident. 

Local authorities had previously been denied Prasek the planning permission to build his lion pens and had been previously subsequently fined for illegal breeding. However, the legal dispute had reached a stalemate, after Prasek refused to let anyone onto his property. Due to a lack of alternative facilities in the Czech Republic which could rehouse the lions, and no evidence of animal cruelty, the lions could not be forcibly removed.

On social media, a number of commentators have condemned Prasek for illegally keeping a lion on his property, and have even gone so far as to suggest that his death is an example of poetic justice. For instance, Twitter-user @DCClark wrote: "Sorry but while this guy was playing checkers, that lion was playing chess ... Lion: Czech mate! [sic]". Meanwhile, another Twitter-user with the handle @SullivanMonty wrote: "Pooooor lion magnificent animal caged. Not fair. Cannot blame that magnificent animal for attacking his cager. [sic]"

A Czech man has been mauled to death by a lion he was keeping caged in the back yard of his family home.

33-year-old Michael Prasek first bought the lion for breeding purposes back in 2016, and kept two of the big cats in the garden of his house in the village of Zdechov. The 9-year-old lioness tore Prasek apart and then left his remains inside the cage. Prasek's father was the first person to discover that he was dead, after he saw his son's body inside the animal enclosure at around 6 am on Tuesday, March 5. The cage was locked from the inside.

Michael's father quickly called the police, who arrived on the scene and were forced to shoot and kill the two lions in an attempt to retrieve Prasek's corpse. Regional police spokeswoman Lenka Javorkova stated to local news reporters that: "I can confirm the breeder is dead. The police had to shoot the two lions dead. A doctor then declared the owner dead," while adding that killing the lions was "absolutely necessary for them to get to the man."

This isn't the first time that Prasek has caught the attention of authorities. Back in 2012, Prasek required hospitalisation and surgery after being attacked by a lion he'd been feeding while living in Slovakia. He told reporters: "It was just my fault that the lion attacked me. I made a professional mistake. Like every morning I went to feed it, but this time I put on a coat that smelled of dogs."

Not only that, but in the summer of 2018 a cyclist crashed into Prasek's lion while he was out walking it on a leash, but incredibly the cyclist was only suffered minor scratches as a result, and police at the time made the bizarre decision to charge Prasek as being involved in a traffic accident. 

Local authorities had previously been denied Prasek the planning permission to build his lion pens and had been previously subsequently fined for illegal breeding. However, the legal dispute had reached a stalemate, after Prasek refused to let anyone onto his property. Due to a lack of alternative facilities in the Czech Republic which could rehouse the lions, and no evidence of animal cruelty, the lions could not be forcibly removed.

On social media, a number of commentators have condemned Prasek for illegally keeping a lion on his property, and have even gone so far as to suggest that his death is an example of poetic justice. For instance, Twitter-user @DCClark wrote: "Sorry but while this guy was playing checkers, that lion was playing chess ... Lion: Czech mate! [sic]". Meanwhile, another Twitter-user with the handle @SullivanMonty wrote: "Pooooor lion magnificent animal caged. Not fair. Cannot blame that magnificent animal for attacking his cager. [sic]"