Latest news with #WorldAnimalProtectionAustralia
7NEWS
11-07-2025
- 7NEWS
Canadian influencer Colton Macaulay cops backlash from Australians over video of him holding baby crocodile
A Canadian influencer has left Australians shocked over a video of him snatching a crocodile out of the water and holding it in front of the camera. In the clip, Colton Macaulay can be seen holding a medium-sized crocodile which when pulled out of the water begins to thrash about and opens its jaws — clearly not happy with being disturbed. The video Catching Crocodiles In Australia was reported on and has since been deleted off Macaulay's social media accounts where he has more than 15 million followers combined. The 27-year-old from Nova Scotia, Canada, has videos with him handling what appear to be dangerous insects and exotic animals and boasting about it to his fans. Other videos on his social media accounts show him getting bitten by snakes, having spiders crawl across his face and small insects all over his hands. But it was the influencer's antics Down Under that earnt him backlash from Aussie viewers shocked that he not only disturbed native animals but seemingly had no regard for the danger he had put himself in. The video amassed nearly half a million views until it was removed, with many comments condemning his actions. 'How stupid are you?' asked one user, while others called him a 'moron' and an 'idiot.' It's not the first time an influencer has caused backlash for tampering with Australian wildlife. Earlier this year, American influencer Sam Jones was condemned for picking up a baby wombat on the side of the road so she could pose for a picture with it. It was clearly in distress after being snatched from its mother, with the footage sparking mass condemnation. Jones later apologised in another video. Authorisation is needed to handle crocodiles in Australia, with permits handled by the individual States. It is not clear whether the influencer was familiar with the relevant laws. Ben Pearson, Country Director at World Animal Protection Australia told Perth Now that it condemned Macaulay's actions. 'Just a quick look at this influencer's account and you can see multiple videos where they're interfering with Aussie wildlife in their homes, from cassowaries to wobbegong sharks. Our iconic Australian animals, like all wildlife, are best loved from a distance.' Pearson said.
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
14-03-2025
- Yahoo
Influencer Cruelly 'Snatches' Baby Wombat Away From Its Mother Leaving the Internet Outraged
The internet was aghast over a video that an American influencer shared while in Australia. Sam Jones sparked a huge controversy online after she plucked a baby wombat away from its mother on the side of the road. The footage is so upsetting and now people online are absolutely furious. The video has since been deleted from the internet, but a clip of the interaction has been shared by ABC News. The footage is pretty disturbing. It shows Jones leaving her car by the side of the road so she could track the wombat down. She ran to the animal, picked it up, and then trotted back to the vehicle — dangling the creature between her fingers as she ran."I caught a baby wombat," Jones said in a copy of the clip that was shared by the news outlet. "OK, mom is right there and she is pissed. Let's let him go." It wasn't just the animal's mother that was upset. The baby wombat was screeching, trying in vain to escape the woman's grasp. The video cuts off before Jones returns the animal, if she does that is. It's certainly upsetting to see someone carelessly pull a baby animal away from its mother. The clip sparked a huge outrage from commenters, who demanded that Jones be deported for her cruelty. BBC News reports that a petition to get Jones deported has been circulating around online even after the clip was taken down. It reportedly has over 10,500 signatures on it. Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke spoke with the news outlet and agreed that if Jones was going to disrespect the natural wildlife of Australia — she needed to go. "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 explained in a statement. It's not just people's sense of injustice that was triggered by the incident. If the case is pursued, Jones could face serious legal repercussions too. Wombats are a legally protected species in Australia. That means that the law prevents people from disturbing the native species, including harming animals or taking wildlife. "It's just unacceptable, and we're glad she's being called to account,' said Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia. 'Snatching a screaming baby wombat from their mother is not just appalling, it's very possibly illegal under state or national laws," she added, before reminding people that wombats are 'not a photo prop or plaything.' Other videos from Jones' social media show the woman holding an echidna and 'little shark.' While it might seem harmless, an animal in distress can really suffer at the hands of a human — they could even die from the stress. Which is why Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong argued that what Jones did was 100 percent wrong. "I think everyone who would have seen that would have thought, leave the baby wombat alone,' the news outlet reports she said. 'Leave it with its mum.' Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
