A U.S. influencer has drawn criticism in Australia, including from the country’s prime minister, for filming herself snatching a baby wombat from its mother.
Sam Jones, a self-described “outdoor enthusiast” from the U.S. with more than 91,000 followers on Instagram, posted a now-deleted video in which she can be seen taking a baby wombat from the side of an unidentified road and running toward a car as its mother chases after her. A man be heard laughing as the scene unfolds.
Jones eventually released the distressed baby wombat, which hissed and screeched while in her arms, back onto the road, the video shows. But it was unclear whether the animal reunited with its mother.
Jones’ action sparked outrage across Australia, especially among conservationists, with some calling for her deportation over her treatment of the wombat, an animal native to Australia that is legally protected in the country.
“They are gentle, lovely creatures,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters. “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,” he continued. “Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.”
More than 18,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that Jones be immediately deported and barred from returning to Australia.
“Messing with Australia’s beloved wildlife is not a joke,” it says.
Wombats, which have large, blunt heads with small eyes and muscular necks, can grow to about 50 inches in length and weigh up to nearly 80 pounds, eating grass and roots of shrubs and trees. It is an offense to harm a wombat without a license from the authorities, according to the Australian government.
The Wombat Protection Society of Australia expressed “shock and concern” over the incident, stressing that the way Jones released the baby wombat put it at risk of becoming roadkill.
“A baby of this size is highly dependent on its mother, and prolonged separation could have fatal consequences,” it said in a Facebook post.
Suzanne Milthorpe, head of campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, said Jones’ “appalling” behavior might be illegal and called for maximum penalties if she is found to have broken the law.
“This is quite simply cruelty for the sake of cheap content,” Milthorpe told the Australian program “10 News First.”
Jones said she “carefully” held the wombat for a minute in total before releasing it back to its mother, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
“They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed,” she wrote in a comment under her now-deleted Instagram post.
“I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so,” said Jones, who made her Instagram account private after the backlash.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said authorities were reviewing Jones’ visa and determining whether she breached immigration law.
“Either way, given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers,” he said in a statement.
“I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual,” he added. “I don’t expect she will return.”
