Social media clout-chasing hit another low when an American influencer snatched a screaming baby wombat away from its mother for a content stunt while visiting Australia.
Now, she may be banned from the country.
Sam Jones is a U.S. hunting influencer who calls herself an “outdoor enthusiast” and “wildlife biologist” with over 92,000 followers on her Instagram page, which has now gone from public to private following the backlash to her interference with native wildlife.
The now-deleted clip showed Jones picking up a baby wombat from the side of a road at night and laughing as she jogged down the road with the terrified marsupial dangling from her grasp.
The short-legged animal native to Australia was heard screeching for its mother as an Australian man filming Jones laughed hysterically, commenting, "Look at the mother…Oh, it's chasing after her!"
The adult wombat was seen scrambling towards Jones from out of the brush and onto the road in an attempt to reach her child.
You can see the video that was saved on Reddit here.
from ImTheMainCharacter
Standing next to the open door of a pulled-over vehicle, Jones addressed viewers with, "I caught a baby wombat!" as the frightened joey continued thrashing and wailing.
The clip ended with Jones saying, "OK mama’s right there and she is pissed, let’s let him go," to which the cameraman commented, “Nah, he’s all right," as the influencer placed the distressed animal back on the ground near its mother.
Jones captioned the video with:
"My dream of holding a wombat has been realized! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush."
Social media users were appalled after watching the video.
Wombats, along with all animals native to Australia, are legally protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, according to news.com.au.
Australia’s Sky News reported that Jones’ visa was under review by Australian immigration officials as they determined whether she violated the law.
Australia's largest wildlife rescue organization, WIRES (Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service), confirmed that Jones' stunt was illegal.
WIRES Wildlife Vet Dr. Tania Bishop told the Australian news outlet that the wombat in the video was "likely around eight months old" and would be with its mother at that age "at all times, relying on her for protection."
Bishop also noted how Jones picking up the baby wombat from under its two front legs could've harmed the animal.
“When she’s running, it’s not supported underneath, and wombats are incredibly solid, especially in their back end, so there’s every chance she could have fractured the upper humerus, or the top of the arms, or caused damage to the shoulders," said the wildlife expert," adding:
"You can see the joey swinging, but it’s also hissing and crying out, which is a sign of extreme distress."
“You can also see the extreme distress the mother is in, chasing her across the road.”
Bishop also pointed out how Jones made the mother vulnerable to potentially getting hit by a car as it scurried across the road after its child was carried away from her.
“This is just an extremely unacceptable way to treat our wildlife, which is already under incredible pressure right now,” said Bishop.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement:
“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."
“I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual. I don’t expect she will return," Burke added.
Jones, who also switched her TikTok account to private, addressed the backlash, explaining:
“For everyone that’s worried and unhappy, the baby was carefully held for ONE minute in total and then released back to mum. They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed."
“I didn’t think I would be able to catch it in the first place, and took an opportunity to appreciate a really incredible animal up close."
“I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so," she added.
Bishop reminded tourists that while native wildlife in Australia is remarkable, taking a photo without physically interacting with the animals should suffice. "You don’t have to pick them up," she said.
“They’re already under stress, we don’t need to do anything more to put them in danger."
“We need to enjoy them while we still can in the wild.”
Penalties for animal cruelty offenses in Australia vary according to jurisdiction.
Fines for individuals can reach as high as $235,600 and $250,000 for corporations.
Jail time can be up to seven years.
