Pit Bulls Maul Man to Death in Compton, Body Found in Kennel

A man was mauled to death by his own pit bulls in L.A. County ... and the bloody aftermath was captured by news choppers, as officials found his body in a backyard kennel.

This horrific incident went down Thursday night in Compton -- although, this poor man wasn't discovered until Friday ... and at that point, he was dead. As you can see in the images above -- which have been circulating on social media -- the scene is downright gruesome.

Unclear what exactly led up to the mauling, but the guy's reported to have been in the business of breeding/selling pitties ... and he had at least 5 grown ones in his backyard. Cops say they believe he might have been trying to feed the animals when they turned on him.

Helicopters surveying the scene early Friday appear to have captured images of his body in one of the enclosures on his property -- but later in the day, first responders arrived to contain the situation ... apprehending the dogs themselves.

The drama wasn't over by then, though ... even after the authorities had arrived, a woman had somehow found her way into the yard and needed help escaping from the dogs.

Eventually, firefighters were able to rescue her and get the pits under control. No word on what will happen to the dogs -- they're now in the possession of Animal Control.

The director of LA County's Animal Control department says, "Our deepest sympathies are extended to the family and friends of the victim. We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation to determine the facts and ensure the safety and well-being of both the community and the animals involved."