The social media celebrity says he was "feeding a happy, healthy bear who was rescued at a young age"

Dan Bilzerian Says He 'Loves Animals' After PETA Complains About Him Feeding a Bear at House Party

Dan Bilzerian, the social media celebrity known as the “King of Instagram,” is facing criticism from PETA for feeding a bear at a house party — but the social media star tells PEOPLE that he loves animals and doesn’t harm them for sport.

During his 4/20 party last week, Bilzerian, 38, hand-fed a Kodiak bear while party-goers watched. He then posted a video on his Instagram account for his 26.8 million followers. The bear had been brought to the party by Steve Martin’s Working Wildlife.

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The video soon went viral, amassing 15 million views and tens of thousands of comments.

After the video posted, PETA sent letters to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the L.A. Department of Animal Services. In the complaints, first obtained by TMZ, PETA said that Bilzerian and Martin hadn’t obtained the right permits for the event. They also said that the bear was too close to onlookers.

“Bears belong in the wild, not in captivity,” PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange tells PEOPLE in a statement. “PETA is calling on authorities to throw the book at scofflaw animal exhibitor Steve Martin and the man who hired him for this dangerous stunt.”

But Bilzerian tells PEOPLE that he is an avid animal lover, and would never do anything to harm the bear.

“It’s pretty obvious I love animals,” he says. “I gave up hunting a long time ago. I’ve tweeted ‘you should only kill an animal if you are gonna eat it, and that trophy hunters obviously have small d—s.’ ”

“I appreciate people trying to stand up for animals,” he continues. “However, you’ve got people killing thousands of animals everyday for sport, torturing dogs in China and clubbing seals to death for fun. [PETA] wants to do the typical internet bandwagon on whatever is popular and come after me.”

Image zoom Dan Bilzerian Courtesy Dan Bilzerian

Additionally, Bilzerian says the bear was treated humanely during the party. “There were no electric fences,” he says. “There was no prodding the bear. I was feeding a very healthy, happy bear who was rescued at a young age.”