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A man was mauled to death by a lion at Accra Zoo in Ghana after entering its enclosure over the weekend, authorities confirmed via BBC.com.
The man, whose name wasn't released but was described as middle-aged, is suspected of having attempted to steal two rare white lion cubs, which have been a popular draw at the zoo since their birth last November, at the time of his death.
Officials said the man scaled a 10-foot fence before climbing over a 20-foot fence in order to enter the enclosed area.
The man's body was located on Sunday (August 28) and transported from the zoo to a local morgue.
Accra Zoo temporarily closed to the public as local authorities launched an investigation into the mauling incident.
Two adult lions -- one male and one female -- and their two white cubs were in the enclosure at the time of the incident.
"The lions have cubs so if you come too close they may feel you are trying to take away their babies," Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Benito Owusu Bio told reporters via BBC.com.
"We ask the public to desist from doing anything like this," Owusu added.
The cubs, which have recessive traits from their parents through leucism, are among a rare lion breed, with about a dozen existing in the wild, according to the Global White Lion Protection Trust via BBC.com.