US influencer flees Australia following backlash over video of her snatching baby wombat from its mother
14 March 2025, 09:33
An American influencer has fled Australia after the government announced it was reviewing her visa after a video emerged showing her snatching a baby wombat from its mother.
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Sam Jones, who describes herself as an "outdoor enthusiast & hunter", left Australia on on Friday, having made her Instagram account private the day before following widespread condemned over a video she uploaded.
The hunting influencer posted the now-deleted video to her 92,000 followers on Instagram, tagging her location as Australia - a clip which has caused outrage and even triggered a response from Australia's Prime Minister.
"There's never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia," home affairs minister Tony Burke said in a statement after a government official confirmed Ms Jones had flown from the country voluntarily.
In the video, Montana-based Ms Jones lifts the wombat joey by its front legs in darkness from a roadside and then runs away from its mother.
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"I caught a baby wombat," she said as a man filming her laughs.
The video sees her return the wombat to the roadside after several seconds.
Mr Burke said earlier on Friday the conditions of her visa were being reviewed to determine whether immigration law had been breached.
"I can't wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don't expect she will return," he said in the statement received by The Associated Press.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese added his voice to the criticism.
"To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage," Mr Albanese 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. Take another animal that can actually fight back rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother."
Ms Jones, who also uses the name Samantha Strable, closed her social media channels to messages and could not be reached for comment on Friday.
The wombat appears to be a common wombat, also known as a bare-nosed wombat. It is a protected marsupial found only in Australia.
Yolandi Vermaak, founder of the animal care charity Wombat Rescue, said separating the young wombat from its mother created a risk that the mother would reject her offspring.
"My biggest concern is that we didn't actually see mom and baby getting reunited. When she put it down, it looked disoriented. It was turned away from where the mother was last seen.
"So we don't know if mum and baby actually found each other again," Ms Vermaak said.
Ms Vermaak also called on Ms Jones to say where the wombat was after the video showed the joey had a skin disease.
"The baby has mange and it's a matter of time before it dies of mange, so it's important for us to find where this happened and to get this baby and its mom treated as soon as possible," Ms Vermaak added.
