Influencer Sam Jones sparks outrage after snatching baby wombat away from its mother in Australia

An American influencer has sparked fierce backlash after footage of her snatching a wild baby wombat away from its mother in Australia went viral.

Sam Jones, a self-proclaimed “outdoor enthusiast and hunter”, caught attention after she posted a video of herself grabbing a wombat cub from the side of the road and running over to a car with it in her hands. As she did, the baby marsupial screamed while its mother chased after it.

Off-camera, a male could be heard laughing, saying: “Look at the mother, it's chasing after her!”

Jones eventually let the scared cub go. She reportedly captioned the TikTok video: “My dream of holding a wombat has been realized! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush.”

Following public backlash, Jones has since set her social media accounts to private, but the clip has continued to circulate online, causing huge anger.

There have been calls for Jones to be deported from the country and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said that immigration officials are reviewing Jones’ visa.

“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.

“I can't wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don't expect she will return.”

An online petition for Jones to be banned from Australia over the incident has received more than 26,000 signatures at the time of writing.

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese laid into Jones during a press conference, suggesting next time she try taking on an animal that can fight back.

“To take a baby wombat from its mother and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage,” Albanese said.

“I suggest to this so-called ‘influencer’, maybe she might try some other Australian animals – take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.”

Elsewhere in Australia, scientists find a “giant” dinosaur spider fossil. Meanwhile, the largest golden nugget ever found came from Australia and weighed as much as an adult man.

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