A US influencer who got her boyfriend to film her kidnapping a baby wombat from its mum may be kicked out of Australia following the backlash online.
Sam Jones, who calls herself an ‘outdoor enthusiast and hunter’, picked up the joey from the side of the road and ran back to her car as its distressed mum gave chase:
American hunting influencer Sam Jones is facing fierce backlash after taking a baby wombat from it’s mother while visiting Australia. pic.twitter.com/bGUvuxWGX7
— The Project (@theprojecttv) March 12, 2025
Fortunately, Jones let the wombat go after having her fun with it, but it’s still completely out of order. I mean, how would she like it if a complete stranger picked up her baby and ran off with it some day? It’s just such a cruel thing to put these innocent creatures through, just to get some content for Instagram.
OK, you might say Steve Irwin would to sh1t like this all time. But Steve Irwin grew up living with native animals & knew how to care for & handle them. This girl clearly had no idea what she was doing and could’ve injured the little guy.
Sam has now locked her Instagram, which has 90,000 followers, after receiving loads of backlash over the video. Even Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had something to say about it – suggesting that Sam try it with a more dangerous animal next time:
‘To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage.’
‘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. Here’s hoping the wombats weren’t too traumatised.
For the last words of the British influencer who fell from a bridge in Spain, click HERE.
