US woman got boyfriend to film her kidnapping baby wombat from its mum
A US influencer who shared a video of herself snatching a baby wombat from its mother may be kicked out of Australia after provoking widespread outrage.
Sam Jones, who calls herself an ‘outdoor enthusiast and hunter,’ was filmed picking up a joey from the side of the road during a trip to Australia and running over to her car, while its distressed mother chased after her.
‘I caught a baby wombat,’ Jones says to the camera as the joey hisses and screeches in obvious distress.
A man filming her can also be heard laughing: ‘Look at the mother, it’s chasing after her’
Jones poses for the camera for a few more moments before saying ‘Ok, momma’s right there and she is pissed,’ before putting the joey back by the side of the road and driving off.
The since-deleted clip has been widely shared and condemned on social media, prompting outrage even at the highest levels of government.
Jones now faces the possibility of having her visa removed.
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese waded into the issue on Thursday, and suggested Jones try her luck with an animal that can actually fight back.
‘To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage,’ he said.
‘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 the government was reviewing Jones’s visa to determine if she had breached any conditions of her stay, and suggested she may never be allowed back in Australia.
‘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, I don’t expect she will return.’
The Wombat Protection Society said it was shocked to see the ‘mishandling of a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for ‘social media likes’.
‘[She] then placed the vulnerable baby back onto a country road – potentially putting it at risk of becoming roadkill,’ they said in a statement, noting that it was unclear if the joey was reunited with its mother after being let go.
Jones has over 92,000 followers on Instagram, but has deleted the clip and made her account private following the backlash.
She has since defended her actions, claiming she did not harm the joey and only held it briefly, according to news.com.au.
‘For everyone that’s worried and unhappy, the baby was carefully held for ONE minute in total and then released back to mum,’ she allegedly wrote.
‘They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed,’ she reportedly wrote. ‘I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so.’
Although wombats are not an endangered species, experts have argued Jones may have broken Australian law due to a ruling which prohibits people from harming or taking native wildlife.
‘Wombats are not a photo prop or plaything,’ said Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia.
In a statement shared online, she added: ‘It’s just unacceptable, and we’re glad she’s being called to account. Snatching a screaming baby wombat from their mother is not just appalling, it’s very possibly illegal under state or national laws.’