The Department of Immigration has confirmed it is looking into the visa conditions of US influencer Sam Jones over a now-viral video of her picking up a baby wombat. Since the footage made its way to Reddit on Tuesday, politicians and wildlife experts have joined a chorus of social media users condemning Jones’ actions.
In a statement on Thursday, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the department is “working through the conditions on her current visa and determining whether immigration law has been breached”, per ABC News.
“Either way, 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, adding: “I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return”.
In a now-deleted Instagram video shared to her over 90,000 followers on Tuesday, Jones was filmed catching 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 her colleague 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. However, Jones has turned her social media accounts on TikTok and Instagram private amid the growing backlash.
Speaking to Sunrise on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong agreed the incident looked “pretty dreadful”.
When questioned on whether the government would be looking into this, Wong said she would leave those sorts of questions to (Home Affairs minister) Burke and to the authorities. “But, really, leave the wombat alone,” she said.
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”.
A number of social media users have said they’ve since reported the influencer to authorities, including to the Federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEW). As reported by ABC News, a spokesperson for the DCCEW confirmed they have received the allegations and enquiries are ongoing.
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.
“And this should only be done by a licensed wildlife carer, a veterinarian or under their direction,” she pointed out.
“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.”
Evans observed Australia’s native species — including the critically endangered Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat — are protected under Commonwealth and state/territory conservation laws.
Wildlife in Australia are protected under the Environment Biosecurity Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, per the Sydney Morning Herald.
Jones has described herself as an outdoor enthusiast and hunter. (Source: Instagram)
Suzanne Milthorpe, head of campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, said Aussies are “quite right 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.
“Our iconic Australian animals, like all wildlife, should be observed from a distance. Handling them in this way can be incredibly harmful – not just for the animals but also for the humans.”
Prior to Jones turning her accounts private, a number of social media users did some digging, finding a series of Instagram Stories labelled ‘Australia’ — seemingly from a trip in late 2023 and 2024 — where Jones can be seen picking up “a little shark” who “was ready to fight” and holding an echidna.
According to Milthorpe, these appear to be multiple “unacceptable” instances of the content creator meddling with Australian wildlife.
“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,” she said.
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 PTV.
In a now-viral Reddit post of the incident, many users have called for Jones to be deported or permanently banned from returning to Australia.
A Change.org petition to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and federal authorities calling for a permanent ban of Jones and serious penalties for the man filming the video has received over 6,200 signatures so far.
Per its creator who goes by the alias “KW”, the petition is not intended to be a witch hunt. People are urged not to threaten or harrass Jones and instead suggest the goal of the petition is to “escalate the matter to the highest levels of power in the country”.
Lead image: Instagram / Getty
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