An American influencer has found herself in the eye of an Antipodean storm after she removed a baby wombat from its mother and posted the footage on social media.
Sam Jones has provoked the ire of both animal conservation groups and Australians alike after she posted a video of her picking up the infant marsupial.
She shared the video on Instagram with the caption: “My dream of holding a wombat has been realised!”
Wombats are native to Australia and a protected species under the country’s law.
But her joy was shortlived as her actions were condemned by The Wombat Protection Society, the Australian Prime Minister and the home affairs minister – and her right to remain in the country is now under review.
Wombat (Vombatus ursinus), Australie. (Photo by Dave WATTS/JACANA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Wombats are a protected species in Australia (Photo: Dave Watts/Jacana/Gamma-Rapho/Getty)
Who is Sam Jones?
Sam Jones is a social media influencer from Montana in the USA. She describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter” on her Instagram account.
According to her social media biography, she is a wildlife biologist and environmental scientist with an MSc. Her account also refers to herself as a “world travlin’ cowpoke” who is “never stagnant”.
She has clocked up almost 92,000 followers on her Instagram account Samstrays_somewhere.
What happens in the baby wombat video?
In the footage posted on her Instagram account, the influencer can be seen at the side of a road in Australia at night picking up the furry creature from a verge.
She runs back towards a man filming the entire episode, holding it and exclaiming “I caught a baby wombat!”
The mother can be seen in the background following her across the road and becoming anxious while the baby struggles to free itself and can be heard hissing in distress.
Ms Jones is then seen placing the baby back at the side of the road near the mother.
In comments under her film, she stated: “The baby was carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom. They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed.
“I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so.”
But the incident sparked anger across Australia and she has since deleted the post and made her Instagram account private.
A number of media outlets including 10 News First in Australia have shared the footage, including 10 News First.
What have Australians said about the wombat video?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the behaviour of Ms Jones. He said: “To take a baby wombat from its mother and clearly causing distress from the mother is just an outrage. I suggest to this so-called influencer maybe she might try some other Australian animals.
“Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.”
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said his department was now reviewing the visa status of the American influencer and determining whether immigration law had been breached.
He said: “Given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers. I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return.”
His comments sparked an online petition to have Ms Jones banned from the country. It so far has more than 28,000 signatures.
Dr Tania Bishop, a wildlife vet from wildlife rescue charity Wires, told Australian media outlet ABC the footage was “very distressing because we didn’t get to see whether the joey [infant marsupial] was OK afterwards or whether there was any sort of permanent damage.”
The Wombat Protection Society of Australia said “it’s a terrible idea to pick up or interfere with wild animals – especially baby wombats”.
A statement from the society said the Instagram footage was “hard to watch” adding: “Seeing a joey separated from her mother for social media content was unsettling. The encounter will have made stress levels soar for the baby and mother.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing a rise in people directly interacting with wildlife through feeding them or taking risks to get close to them, often driven by the pursuit of social media attention. These interactions can hurt wildlife in many different ways.
“If you can’t captivate an audience with the wonders of wildlife without harassing a wild animal, then perhaps it’s time to rethink and refine your social media strategy.”
The i Paper contacted Ms Jones before publication but received no reply to its request for comment.