A video of an American wildlife influencer grabbing a baby wombat away from its mother and holding it up to a camera during a visit to Australia has outraged the nation's politicians and conservation groups.
Sam Jones shared a since-deleted video to her nearly 92,000 Instagram followers that has been condemned by Australia's prime minister and wildlife groups in the country.
Jones has since left the country voluntarily after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in as statement they were reviewing Jones’ visa to determine whether she broke any laws.
“Either way, given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again," he said. "I’ll be surprised if she even bothers.”
Here's what to know about the controversy.
Who is Sam Jones?
Jones is a wildlife influencer who calls herself an "outdoor enthusiast and hunter" in her Instagram bio, which uses the handle @samstrays_somewhere.
She also says she is a "wildlife biologist and environmental scientist" based in Montana in her bio.
What did Sam Jones do to the baby wombat?
In a the 34-second video that has since been deleted, but reposted by Wombat Support and Rescue NSW/ACT, a local Australian wombat group, Jones can be seen grabbing a wombat from the side of the road at night.
Jones scurries across the road holding the animal as its mother gives chase. She then holds the hissing wombat in front of the camera as its flails in her arms.
"Just caught a baby wombat," a man says from behind the camera while laughing. "Look at the mother, it's like all chasing after us."
"I caught a baby wombat," Jones says while the animal tries to wriggle free of her grasp.
The camera then shows the animal's mother walking right up to Jones and the vehicle she was standing near.
"OK, mama's right there, and she is pissed," Jones says. "Let's let him go."
Jones then releases the animal at the side of the road and the video cuts off before it's possible to see if the wombat reunited with its mother.
“They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed,” she wrote in a comment under the now-deleted Instagram post, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so."
What happened to Sam Jones after she grabbed the baby wombat?
The video sparked outrage across Australia, including the highest levels of its government.
It resulted in Jones leaving the country voluntarily, government officials confirmed to Sky News.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said officials were reviewing Jones’ visa to determine whether she broke any immigration laws when she decided to leave the country. They don't expect her to make a return trip.
“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,” he said in a statement. “I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual. I don’t expect she will return."
Jones also made her Instagram account private in the wake of the controversy.
What was the reaction to Sam Jones snatching the baby wombat?
Officials and wildlife groups across Australia issued statements about the incident.
It is illegal to harm a wombat without a license from Australia's Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, according to the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act of 2016.
“They are gentle, lovely creatures,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters, according to NBC News. “To take a baby wombat from its mother and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage.”
“I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she might try some other Australian animals,” he continued. “Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.”
The Wombat Protection Society of Australia called the video "appalling" in a statement on Facebook.
"The individual, who appeared to have no understanding of wombat behavior 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," the organization wrote.
"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."
Yolandi Vermaak, the founder of the animal care charity Wombat Rescue, told Sky News that the video showed the baby wombat had mange, a skin disease, and Jones should not have touched it.
“The baby has mange and it’s a matter of time before it dies of mange, so it’s important for us to find where this happened and to get this baby and its mum treated as soon as possible,” Vermaak said.
An online petition asking for Jones to be deported and banned from visiting Australia ever again has nearly 40,000 signatures. The petition also calls for penalties for the Australian man who can be heard laughing behind the camera.
"Messing with Australia’s beloved wildlife is not a joke," it reads.
