Influencer Leaves Country After Viral Wildlife Video Draws Outrage
American influencer Samantha Strable. known as Sam Jones, faced a flurry of backlash in Australia after a video surfaced online of her sperating a baby wombat from its mother.
The footage, which was shared on Reddit, showed Strable running across a road holding the distressed animal, with the mother wombat chasing after her. Strable, who describes herself as a 'wildlife biologist,' briefly posed with the baby wombat for a photo before returning it to its mother, claiming they were 'safely reunited.'
The video sparked outrage across the country, with many criticizing Strable's actions as cruel and irresponsible. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called out her behavior, suggesting she try handling a baby crocodile instead.
'I suggest to this so-called influencer maybe she might try some other Australian animals,' he said. '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. See how you go there.'
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also joined the criticism, stating that people should leave the wombats 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 mom.'
A Change.org petition calling for Strable's deportation quickly gained traction, amassing over 30,000 signatures.
In defense, Strable claimed the joey was only held for a minute, but experts, including Dr. Tania Bishop from WIRES, agued the act could be illegal under Australian wildlife protection laws.
Following the backlash, Strable left Australia amid threats to review her visa status. Though no charges have been filed, the incident has left a lasting negative impact on Strable's reputation.
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My father, 40 years old, hadn't taken the divorce well and already had some psychiatric illness, so he forced us all into his truck and drove us from California to Mexico. At the time, my parents told us kids that we were taking a family trip. I remember the drive, shopping in a street market, and being greeted by the flashing lights of police cars when we eventually returned to the States. The police were nice and let us sit in the police car! I remember being excited about that." "A cousin of mine was kidnapped as a baby by his aunt and uncle and taken to Australia and raised as their very own child. The kid was born to a middle-income family in a third-world country. My cousin's father's brother was a wealthy man in Australia who had spent the previous year living back home. He and his wife, who could not have children, plotted to visit the new baby and claim him as their own, with the father of the child aiding them in the kidnapping. 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"I was working alone at a gas station in my middle-of-nowhere town. A robber came in with a gun to rob the store and then kidnap me. He made me drive his Durango to the next exit, and we drove out a few miles when he dropped me off. I thought he was taking me out to execute me, but it was in reality to get me further from a phone. This was 1999, so cell phones were not popular. Took me a while to make it to the closest house where someone answered the door with a shotgun. He ended up helping me get hold of the sheriff." "I was grabbed in a parking lot and pulled into the backseat of a car. I started kicking and screaming and flailing around. The passenger had a gun pointed at me, and I was trying to hit it out of his hand while the person in the backseat was trying to restrain me. I fought for my life. There was no thinking or anything, I just went straight to fight mode. They ended up stopping in a dark neighborhood and threw me out into the street. During all this they were calling me names and saying other shit but I don't really remember those details. I just remember fighting for my life and screaming." "I was kidnapped when I was 9, but I didn't even realize at the time. My school bus got stolen, and the guy drove around picking up random kids. We caught on and started yelling out the windows. The guy panicked and dropped us off at a school none of us went to. We told the secretary what happened, and a bunch of cops came." "One of the guy's girlfriends in the house found me and took pity on me. She snuck me out when they all went out drinking. She dropped me off at a corner gas station, and I think I ran the rest of the way home...I am not a runner by any means. I'll never forget stepping into the living room of my house that how terrified I was to sleep, so I slept in the bed with my mom." "Technically, I was kidnapped by a fake cab driver in the nineties in London. 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I don't remember everything too clearly, but this man told me he would help me find my mom, and he took me to his car. Apparently, someone saw me crying and called the police, and the cops pulled him over. They arrested him. Not sure what happened to him." And finally, "I was kidnapped when I left work one night. We struggled briefly, but he forced his way into my car. He had a gun. He said he wanted me to go to the ATM and get money. I told him I didn't have any, but I could get some money from my work. After a short time, I just drove back to my work, got out of the car, and took my purse and car keys with me. Luckily, our security person was at the door when I walked in. I just completely broke down, and he took charge. He called the police, who got there really quickly. My kidnapper was waiting for me in my car to come back with the money. The police took him to jail." If you were kidnapped and feel comfortable sharing your story, tell us in the comments or us the anonymous form below:
