MELBOURNE, Australia — An American social media influencer departed Australia on Friday following a governmental announcement of an ongoing visa review instigated by a contentious video she shared in which she removed a baby wombat from its mother. The influencer, Sam Jones, who identifies as an “outdoor enthusiast & hunter,” privatized her Instagram profile Thursday after facing significant backlash for her actions.
After learning Jones had voluntarily left the country, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke remarked, “There’s never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia.” The incident came under scrutiny when Jones, hailing from Montana, was seen in the video picking up the young wombat by its front legs from the roadside in the dark, subsequently running away. She can be heard exclaiming, “I caught a baby wombat,” to the amusement of the man who filmed the act. Jones eventually returned the animal to the roadside after several seconds.
On Friday, Burke stated that her visa was being assessed to ascertain any breaches of immigration law. “I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return,” said Burke. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also criticized the act, expressing his outrage at the distress caused to the mother wombat. “To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage,” he said.
Albanese further commented sarcastically on the influencer’s actions, suggesting she attempt a similar stunt with more dangerous Australian animals. “Try taking a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there,” he added, emphasizing the fragility of the baby wombat compared to animals that can defend themselves.
Jones, who also goes by the name Samantha Strable, has disabled her social media profiles from receiving messages and could not be reached for a statement. The baby wombat in question is from the species known as the common or bare-nosed wombat, a protected marsupial native to Australia.
Concerns were expressed by Yolandi Vermaak, the founder of Wombat Rescue, an organization dedicated to animal welfare. She noted the potential for the mother wombat to reject its offspring after the separation. “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 mom and baby actually found each other again,” Vermaak explained.
Vermaak also urged Jones to disclose the location of the incident, as the video revealed the joey suffering from a skin disease called mange. “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,” she stated.
