An American hunting influencer who went viral over a now-deleted video of herself picking up a baby wombat has left the country.
As reported by ABC News, influencer Sam Jones departed Australia this morning.
In the video originally shared to her over 90,000 Instagram followers on Tuesday, Jones was filmed grabbing a joey wombat from the side of an unidentified road.
She holds the visibly uncomfortable wombat — who tries to wriggle away — for several moments before telling someone off camera filming the video that “the mama’s right there and she is pissed” and sets the baby wombat on the ground.
It’s pretty unclear where or when the incident took place in Australia, but Jones has turned her social media accounts on TikTok and Instagram private amid the growing backlash.
In a short statement following Jones’ departure on Friday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there’s “never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia”, per the ABC.
It was confirmed on Thursday that the immigration department was “working through the conditions on her current visa” and determining whether immigration law had been breached with her actions.
At the time, Burke remarked he would “be surprised” if Jones were to apply for another Australian visa, given the level of scrutiny after the video, and said he couldn’t wait for Australia “to see the back of this individual”.
It’s understood the review of her visa is still ongoing when Jones made the decision herself to leave the country, per the Guardian.
A number of other politicians have also addressed the video, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese telling the influencer to try and “take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there”.
At a press conference on Friday morning, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said it was a “cruel act” and that he was glad the influencer has left the country.
Speaking to Sunrise on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the incident looked “pretty dreadful”.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles also slammed Jones’ actions, telling 3AW Drive that “people who come to Australia on visas shouldn’t be idiots and clearly that’s what she has been”.
What have wildlife experts said about the wombat video?
Dr Di Evans, senior scientific officer at RSPCA Australia, told PEDESTRIAN.TV the video demonstrates a “blatant disregard” for Australia’s native wildlife.
“Australia has an abundance of beautiful wildlife that international tourists can safely and respectfully come to observe each year,” she said, such as visiting reputable animal sanctuaries and licensed and welfare accredited zoos and through ethical wildlife viewing companies.
According to Evans, handling these animals in the wild is a big no-no, the only exception being to help a sick or injured animal.
“This video shows a blatant disregard for our native wildlife. The distress caused by the callous act is obvious with the joey screeching for their mother and the mother being extremely anxious,” she said.
Wildlife in Australia are protected under the Environment Biosecurity Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, per the Sydney Morning Herald.
Suzanne Milthorpe, head of campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, said Aussies are “quite rightly outraged” at the video that is “cruelty for the sake of content”.
“Wombats are not a photo prop or plaything; it’s clear from this video how distressing the mother and baby wombat found this experience,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Australian Wildlife Protection Council echoed the sentiment that young animals, whether they are mammals, birds, or reptiles, should not be picked up “for entertainment reasons” by humans.
“It’s inhumane to both the young animal and the mother and will not end well,” a spokesperson told P.TV.
Lead image: Instagram / Getty
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