Backlash ensues after influencer’s wild encounter with baby wombat

The Australian government is reviewing the visa of US influencer Samantha Jones after she posted a video that sparked outrage online. Jones, who goes by the name @samstrays_somewhere on Instagram, has come under fire for a stunt in which she tore a baby wombat away from its distressed mother to create content for her social media followers.

The incident has raised serious concerns regarding the protection of Australia’s wildlife, with authorities investigating whether her actions violated any of the country’s wildlife laws.

Minister for immigration calls for scrutiny

Australia’s Minister for Immigration, Tony Burke, confirmed that his department is currently reviewing the footage and considering whether Jones’s actions breached any immigration or wildlife protection laws.

“The department is now working through the conditions on her current visa and determining whether immigration law has been breached,” Burke said in a statement issued Thursday. He also expressed doubt that Jones would be able to return to Australia following the controversy, citing the overwhelming public scrutiny surrounding the video.

“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,” Burke added. “I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual; I don’t expect she will return.”

The controversial video and its aftermath

The video, which has since been deleted from Jones’s social media accounts, was shared with her over 92,000 followers on Instagram. In it, Jones is seen snatching up a baby wombat from the side of the road in the middle of the night, while a man films her and laughs.

As Jones runs toward the camera holding the defenseless wombat, the baby’s legs dangle freely, and its mother can be seen chasing after her in distress. The video cuts to Jones holding the crying baby wombat, which appears terrified.

“Okay, mama is right there, and she is pissed, let’s let him go,” Jones says, laughing before the video ends.

While Jones claimed in the video’s caption that “the baby and mum were safely united,” many viewers were horrified by the footage.

Calls for deportation and criticism from officials

The video caught the attention of multiple public divs, including Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who called the footage “dreadful” and urged viewers to leave the wombat alone.

“It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it? I will leave those sorts of questions [about whether the influencer should be deported] to Tony Burke and to the authorities, but, really, leave the wombat alone,” Wong said. “I think everyone who would have seen that would have thought, leave the baby wombat alone. Leave it with its mum.”

The backlash against Jones intensified with the creation of an online petition calling for her deportation from Australia. As of Thursday, the petition had garnered over 13,000 signatures.

Local wildlife experts also weighed in, condemning Jones’s actions. Dr. Jennifer Bishop from the Australian Wildlife Rescue Agency WIRES pointed out the distress caused to both the baby wombat and its mother.

“You can see the joey swinging, but it’s also hissing and crying out, which is a sign of extreme distress,” Bishop explained. “You can also see the extreme distress the mother is in, chasing her across the road.”

Jones defends her actions, claims no harm was done

In the wake of the controversy, Jones attempted to defend her actions, claiming that the baby wombat was only held for a brief period of time before being safely returned to its mother.

“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,” she wrote in the caption of the video.

Jones, who describes herself as a “wildlife biologist and environmental scientist,” took to Instagram comments to address the backlash before eventually deleting the video. She further explained that she never intended to harm the animal, stating, “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.”

Despite her claims of innocence, the response to Jones’s actions has sparked a broader debate about the ethics of wildlife interaction for social media content.

Unclear whether Jones has left Australia

It remains unclear whether Jones has left Australia in light of the fallout. The backlash has undoubtedly raised questions about her future in the country, especially given the ongoing scrutiny surrounding the video.

As the Australian government reviews the incident, it is clear that Jones’s actions have left a lasting impression on both the public and authorities. The debate over her visa and the impact of her video on Australia’s wildlife protection efforts is likely to continue for some time.

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