PRAGUE (Reuters) - A lion that mauled and killed its owner in a cage at his property in the Czech Republic has been shot dead by police.

Local media reported that the male lion attacked Michal Prasek when he entered the cage he had built for the animal in the garden of his home, about 350 kilometers (215 miles) southeast of Prague. A lioness was also shot by police.

“A 33-year old man died after his lion attacked him,” police spokeswoman Lenka Javorkova said on Tuesday. “The police had to shoot two lions in order to get to the man who was with the animals.”

Prasek brought the lions from Slovakia in 2016, causing a stir in the village and attracting media attention.

He invited neighbors into his garden to see the animals but never got a permit for them, local media reported.