A West Virginia man was charged with holding two deer captive inside his home, according to the state's Natural Resources Police.

According to police, two officers were on their way Saturday to boat patrol duties in Cabell County, in the western part of the state, when they received a complaint of deer being kept inside a home.

Officers responding to the home found two bucks inside, where they had been living for “at least a year,” police said in a statement posted on Facebook.







The male occupant of the home was charged and prosecution is pending, according to the statement by police. The deer were set free.





In West Virginia, it is illegal to confine wildlife or secure them in an area where they are not able to roam free or come and go as they please, according to the agency.

Calls to the West Virginia Natural Resources Police were not immediately returned to ABC News on Tuesday.