The California Hamster Association has accused Justin Bieber of animal cruelty after he gave away his pet critter named PAC to a frenzied fan.
The exchange happened during Bieber’s performance at the Atlanta Jingle Ball show earlier this month. (You can watch a video of the gifting below.)
While the tiny fuzzball has been photographed looking happy and healthy with his new owner in Alabama, the Hamster rights group (CHA) is less than enthused.
They told TMZ that hamsters should be treated delicately and “often succumb quickly to illness and death” especially when faced with “sudden environmental change.”
CHA added, “The moment that hamster was handed off to a screaming girl in a harsh, frenzied environment was likely the moment it gazed at the short path to its doom.”
The group believes that if Bieber no longer wanted PAC then he should have handed his pet to an animal shelter or a rescue center so they could have given PAC to a new owner in a safer manner.
Bieber has not commented on the situation, but PAC has a Twitter account and seems to be doing just fine. “Please don’t hate on my new owner. She’s taking really good care of me! :),” reads an entry on PAC’s Twitter feed.