An American influencer has sparked outrage in Australia, including condemnation from the Prime Minister, after a video surfaced appearing to show her removing a baby wombat from the wild and separating it from its mother.
The video allegedly features Sam Jones, known on Instagram as “samstrays_somewhere.” Her bio identifies her as an “outdoor enthusiast & hunter” from Montana. The video, location unspecified in Australia, seemingly shows Jones picking up a baby wombat and running across a road with it towards a car, while its mother chases after them. After the wombat makes a hissing sound, seemingly indicating distress, Jones reportedly puts the animal back in the bush.
The video has been removed, and Jones has since made her Instagram account private.
Despite the deletion of the original video, it is still being shared on social media, leading to global disapproval. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also voiced criticism of Jones.
“To take a baby wombat from its mother… is simply unacceptable,” Albanese said. “I suggest this so-called influencer might try interfering with other Australian animals. Try taking a baby crocodile from its mother and see what happens. Try an animal that can actually defend itself.”
This follows a statement by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who stated that Jones’s travel visa will be reviewed to determine if she violated the conditions of her stay in the country.
“Given the level of scrutiny she will face if she ever applies for a visa again, I doubt she will even bother,” he said in an email. “I look forward to Australia seeing the last of this individual, and I don’t anticipate her return.”
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), CNN reports that Jones commented on the incident before making her social media accounts private, stating that the baby wombat was “carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom.”
A petition has been launched to ban Jones from Australia, with the organizer stating that it is “to send a message to Australian politicians and legal officers to not let this case go.”