A lioness killed her keeper in Iran on Sunday as he was feeding her lunch, then escaped with its male partner and prowled around a zoo before being captured, media reported.

The official IRNA news agency said the 40-year-old victim, identified only by his family name, Esfandani, was putting meat through a feeding window when the two lions managed to open their cage.

Police and guards captured the pair a few hours later at the zoo in the central city of Arak, some 200 kilometers (144 miles) southwest of the capital, Tehran.

Authorities are investigating the case. Such incidents are rare in Iran and are often blamed on poor safety measures and inadequate emergency service.