An American influencer was filmed separating a baby wombat from its distressed mother in Australia, sparking a wave of criticism and threats against her. Sam Jones, who describes herself as a “nature enthusiast and hunter,” expressed being “deeply sorry” for the incident and revealed that she had received thousands of death threats.
In the video, Jones is seen picking up the baby wombat near a road, laughing and running towards a car while the mother desperately chases after her. Wombats, also known as vombatids or Australian badgers, are herbivorous marsupials that live exclusively in Australia and Tasmania.
The incident caused outrage, prompting Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to sarcastically challenge her to “try taking a baby crocodile away from its mother and see how that goes for you.”
Jones attempted to defend herself through a lengthy statement on her Instagram account, explaining that her intention was to move the animals away from the danger of the road. According to her version, the video shows the mother running away from the road, but the baby does not follow, so she decides to pick it up. She claimed she ran across the road “not to take the baby away from its mother, but out of fear of being attacked by her.”
“The rushed decision I made at that moment was never intended to cause harm or steal a baby animal,” she stated. She also clarified that the video “was not staged or made for entertainment” but that she acted impulsively without providing the necessary context for her online audience.
In the second part of her message, Jones criticized Australia’s selective culling laws, which include wombats, kangaroos, horses, deer, and pigs. Australia has regulations for controlling animal populations, which have sparked controversy and divided public opinion. While wombats are a protected species, permits can be obtained to cull them under certain conditions.
The scandal led to an online petition demanding the influencer’s deportation, gathering more than 40,000 signatures. Interior Minister Tony Burke confirmed that his department was considering revoking Jones’ visa. However, according to the BBC, she had already left the country voluntarily.
Jones, who also goes by the name Samantha Strable and has over 95,000 Instagram followers, faced strong criticism from conservationists. The Society for the Protection of Wombats described her actions as “horrific” and warned that they could have severely harmed the animals. “It was heartbreaking to see the improper handling of a baby wombat in what appeared to be an attempt to gain social media ‘likes,’” the organization stated.
The video shows Jones holding the baby wombat, which squirms and hisses while trying to break free. The person filming can be heard laughing and saying, “Look at the mom, she’s chasing her!” The post, which was later deleted, included a caption where Jones expressed her excitement: “My dream of holding a wombat has come true!” In the comments, she assured that the baby and its mother “reunited without issues” and that the animal was carried “carefully for only a minute before being returned to its mother.”
Animal rights organizations, including PETA, also condemned the incident, calling it “wildlife exploitation” and urging the public to “stop using wild animals as props.”
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