Lusaka - A 50-year-old Zambian man hanged himself after his wife found him having sex with a hen, police said on Friday.

The woman caught him in the act when she rushed into their house to investigate a noise.

"He attempted to kill her but she managed to escape," a police spokesperson said.

The man - from the town of Chongwe, about 50km east of Lusaka - killed himself after being admonished by other villagers.

The hen was slaughtered after the incident.