A big cat loving Instagram star likened to Netflix anti-hero Joe Exotic has been exposed by a Kent-based animal welfare group after filming himself punching one of his prized cubs.

Dean Schneider has seven million followers on the social media platform but has been widely criticised since Gabo Wildlife circulated the close-up clip and is now under investigation for cruelty.

The clip of Mr Schneider

The 27-year-old Swiss financier, whose cult status has seen him compared to Tiger King protagonist Joe Exotic, rains down blows after the cub catches him with a claw. The video then abruptly cuts out.

South Africa’s national animal welfare agency has now opened an investigation Mr Schneider after being "inundated with complaints".

The video came to light after Carly Åhlén's organisation, which she runs from her home near Bluewater, published it online. Mr Schneider swiftly deleted the clip following a backlash.

Canterbury-born Miss Åhlén said: "The Dean Schneider story is something I exposed and it’s gone viral. He is a huge media sensation but to me it’s all about internet clicks and financial gain. The lions he has are captive, they are not free and hold no conservation value at all, he is exploiting wildlife for fame and had been trying to get famous for years.

Miss Åhlén, who is also working with charity Wild@Life.e.V to rescue chimpanzees from the wildlife trade, added: "You can see the anger on his face. The cub had not attacked him it had accidentally caught a claw on his cheek."

A spokesman for Mr Schneider told The Times he was often in close contact with the cubs and “needs to communicate his boundaries”.

He added: “Dean has a deep love for his animals and wildlife in general, and would never use unnecessary force of any kind.”

Mr Schneider operates from an 890-acre reserve and also keeps giraffes, leopards and zebras, relying in part on donations from the public.

He regularly uploads pictures and clips of him playing with his captive animals and says: “They look at me like a brother, like a part of their family. I learn their language and I speak in their language.”

In South Africa there are 200 farms with 12,000 captive lions, four times the wild population and the government is under increasing pressure to monitor them more closely.

According to Mr Schneider there are plans for a wildlife series following his adventures.

Escaped animals, unusual finds and news from the RSPCA can all be found here.