Latest news with #WombatProtectionSociety
The Independent
15-03-2025
- The Independent
Influencer who took wombat from mother claims she was just trying to get it off the road
An American influencer who sparked outrage after filming herself taking a baby wombat away from its mother has defended her actions and said she was only trying to get it off the road after she received death threats and calls for deportation. Sam Jones, who shares hunting and outdoors content to her 95,000 followers on Instagram, had been threatened with deportation after she posted a video on her Instagram account of her laughing as she ran over to a car with the baby with the wombat joey in her hands while its mother chased after them. 'I caught a baby wombat!' Jones says in the now-deleted video, as the baby hissed and wriggled in distress. She eventually put the baby down on the roadside near where the mother. The video sparked backlash in Australia, with prime minister Anthony Albanese calling it an 'outrage' as he challenged her to 'take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there'. Ms Jones, from Montana, shared a statement with followers in which she sought to defend her actions, saying she was 'extremely concerned' to see the wombats 'on a road, not moving'. 'As wombats are so often hit on Australian roads, I stopped to ensure they got off the road safely and didn't get hit.' She added that the joey did not move or run off when she approached them, so she picked it up because she feared it may be sick or injured. 'I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me. That snap judgement I made in these moments was never from a place of harm or stealing a joey.' Ms Jones went on to say she was 'truly sorry for the distress I caused' and had learned her lesson. In a second post, she defended herself against the backlash she received. 'Over holding a wombat, thousands threatened my life', she said. 'Let me be clear; these same people ought to understand the reality of Australia today.' She pointed out that the Australian government has its own animal culling laws where permits can be obtained to kill wombats if deemed necessary, despite them being a protected species. Over 40,000 people signed an online petition calling for Ms Jones' deportation, which led home affairs minister Tony Burke to say he was reviewing whether her visa could be revoked. It is understood she left the country of her own accord. The Wombat Protection Society said: 'We are expressing shock and concern over the actions of a tourist who mishandled a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for 'social media likes'. 'The individual, who appeared to have no understanding of wombat behaviour or the severe stress caused by human interference and separation from its mother, She then placed the vulnerable baby back onto a country road—potentially putting it at risk of becoming roadkill. 'There is no clear evidence that the joey was successfully reunited with its mother. A baby of this size is highly dependent on its mother, and prolonged separation could have fatal consequences. Additionally, without proper training in wildlife handling, the tourist not only risked injuring the joey but also putting herself in danger.'
Express Tribune
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
US influencer Sam Jones leaves Australia after baby wombat snatching video sparks outrage
Sam Jones, an American influencer, has left Australia after a video surfaced showing her taking a distressed baby wombat from the side of the road and posting the footage on social media. The controversial video quickly sparked outrage across the country. Australia's Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, had previously stated that his department was reviewing whether it could revoke Jones's visa, but sources confirmed that she left the country voluntarily. In a brief statement on Friday, Burke expressed relief, saying, "There has never been a better time to be a baby wombat," celebrating Jones's departure. The video, which showed Jones laughing as she snatched the baby wombat from its frantic mother, caused widespread condemnation. In the clip, the baby wombat is seen hissing in distress before Jones eventually returns it to the bush. The incident prompted anger from both the public and Australian leaders, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called it an "outrage." Foreign Minister Penny Wong also condemned the act as "dreadful." Opposition leader Peter Dutton described the act as "cruel" and expressed relief that Jones had left the country. An online petition demanding her deportation garnered over 30,000 signatures. However, as Jones had not been charged with any offense and was not deemed a threat, there were no legal grounds to cancel her visa. Jones, who also goes by the name Samantha Strable, has nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram, where she describes herself as an "outdoor enthusiast and hunter." She has since made her account private and deleted the controversial post. In a now-deleted comment, Jones defended her actions, claiming that the baby wombat was "carefully held for one minute" and was unharmed upon being returned to its mother. "They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed," she wrote. "I don't ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so." Despite her defense, wildlife experts have criticized the act as a "blatant disregard" for native species. The Wombat Protection Society expressed shock over what they described as the "mishandling of a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for 'social media likes'." Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, called the video "unacceptable," highlighting the trauma the baby wombat must have felt. Wombats, which are native to Australia, are a legally protected species. Experts say that separating a baby wombat from its mother can be both distressing and harmful, given the strong bond between them.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US influencer who snatched baby wombat has left Australia
Sam Jones, an American influencer who briefly snatched a baby wombat from its distressed mother and uploaded the footage to social media has left Australia. Australia's Home Affairs minister Tony Burke had earlier said his department was reviewing if it could revoke Ms Jones' visa, but the BBC understands that she left the country of her own accord. "There has never been a better time to be a baby wombat," Burke said in a short statement on Friday celebrating Jones' departure. Anger erupted across Australia after Jones posted a video of her taking a baby wombat from the side of a road while laughing and running away from the distraught mother wombat. The video also shows the baby wombat hissing in distress before Jones then returns it to the bush. Jones, who also goes by the name Samantha Strable, has nearly 100,000 followers and describes herself as an "outdoor enthusiast and hunter" on her Instagram profile. She has since made her account private and deleted her post. Her video was swiftly met with widespread condemnation, with Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling the incident an "outrage". Foreign minister Penny Wong called the video "dreadful". On Friday, opposition leader Peter Dutton said he thought it was "a cruel act" and that he was "glad" the influencer has now left. An online petition demanding Jones be deported from Australia garnered more than 30,000 signatures. However, as Jones had not been charged nor been deemed a threat to the country – the government may not have had any grounds to cancel her visa. In since-deleted comments, Ms Jones said "the baby was carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom". "They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed," she wrote. "I don't ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so." But wildlife experts have deemed Jones' act a "blatant disregard" for native wildlife. The Wombat Protection Society said it was shocked to see the "mishandling of a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for 'social media likes'". "Snatching a screaming baby wombat from their mother is not just appalling, it's very possibly illegal under state or national laws," Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, said in a statement online. "Wombats are not a photo prop or plaything." Wombats, which are native to Australia, are a legally protected species across the country. Baby wombats share a strong bond with their mothers, and any separation can be distressing and harmful, conservationists say.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sam Jones: US influencer who snatched baby wombat has left Australia
Sam Jones, an American influencer who briefly snatched a baby wombat from its distressed mother and uploaded the footage to social media has left Australia. Australia's Home Affairs minister Tony Burke had earlier said his department was reviewing if it could revoke Ms Jones' visa, but the BBC understands that she left the country of her own accord."There has never been a better time to be a baby wombat," Burke said in a short statement on Friday celebrating Jones' erupted across Australia after Jones posted a video of her taking a baby wombat from the side of a road while laughing and running away from the distraught mother wombat. The video also shows the baby wombat hissing in distress before Jones then returns it to the bush. Jones, who also goes by the name Samantha Strable, has nearly 100,000 followers and describes herself as an "outdoor enthusiast and hunter" on her Instagram profile. She has since made her account private and deleted her post. Her video was swiftly met with widespread condemnation, with Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling the incident an "outrage".Foreign minister Penny Wong called the video "dreadful".On Friday, opposition leader Peter Dutton said he thought it was "a cruel act" and that he was "glad" the influencer has now online petition demanding Jones be deported from Australia garnered more than 30,000 signatures. However, as Jones had not been charged nor been deemed a threat to the country – the government may not have had any grounds to cancel her since-deleted comments, Ms Jones said "the baby was carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom"."They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed," she wrote. "I don't ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so."But wildlife experts have deemed Jones' act a "blatant disregard" for native Wombat Protection Society said it was shocked to see the "mishandling of a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for 'social media likes'"."Snatching a screaming baby wombat from their mother is not just appalling, it's very possibly illegal under state or national laws," Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, said in a statement online. "Wombats are not a photo prop or plaything."Wombats, which are native to Australia, are a legally protected species across the country. Baby wombats share a strong bond with their mothers, and any separation can be distressing and harmful, conservationists say.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US influencer draws backlash for stealing baby wombat from mum
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is the latest to criticise a US influencer whose video of her taking a wild baby wombat away from its distressed mother has angered conservationists. Albanese suggested that the woman, Sam Jones, tries doing so with animals that "can actually fight back": "Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there." Ms Jones, who calls herself an "outdoor enthusiast and hunter", was filmed picking up the joey by the road and running across it to a car, while its mother ran after them. The man filming can be heard laughing: "Look at the mother, it's chasing after her!" The video, which was filmed in Australia, has since been deleted. Immigration officials are reviewing Ms Jones's visa, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told the BBC, following calls for her to be deported. An online petition supporting Ms Jones's deportation has received 10,500 signatures so far. "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 said in a statement. Ms Jones's "appalling" behaviour could have caused severe harm to the wombats, conservationists say. The Wombat Protection Society said it was shocked to see the "mishandling of a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for 'social media likes'". "[She] then placed the vulnerable baby back onto a country road - potentially putting it at risk of becoming roadkill," it noted in its statement, adding that it remains unclear if the joey reunited with its mother. "I caught a baby wombat," Ms Jones exclaimed in the video, while the joey could be heard hissing and struggling in her grip. Her caption in the now-deleted post read: "My dream of holding a wombat has been realised! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush." "The baby was carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom," she wrote in the comments, responding to criticism. "They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed. I don't ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so." Following the backlash, Ms Jones, who has more than 92,000 followers on Instagram, made her account private. But several media outlets had already shared the video - as well as earlier posts, said to be taken in Australia, which show her holding an echidna and a "little shark". Wombats, which are native to Australia, are a legally protected species across the country. Baby wombats share a strong bond with their mothers, and any separation can be distressing and harmful, conservationists say. "Wombats are not a photo prop or plaything," said Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, in a statement online. "It's just unacceptable, and we're glad she's being called to account. Snatching a screaming baby wombat from their mother is not just appalling, it's very possibly illegal under state or national laws," Ms Milthrope said. Some experts believe Ms Jones broke the law because Australia prohibits people from harming or taking native wildlife. It is only allowed if the joey is in need of help because its mother has died, wildlife veterinarian Tania Bishop told ABC News. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong also weighed in on the "dreadful" video. "I think everyone who would have seen that would have thought, leave the baby wombat alone. Leave it with its mum," she told 7News. Additional reporting by Simon Atkinson
