Sam Jones, an American influencer who describes herself as a “outdoor and hunter enthusiast”, is facing a wave of criticism in Australia after sharing a video where she separates a maid’s vombate cub. The situation generated such indignation that even Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reacted, classifying the case as an “outrage.” Immigration authorities are now analyzing the influence of the influencer, after the release of a petition that already has more than 10,000 signatures to ask for its deportation.
In the video, which has already been erased from social networks, Sam Jones appears to take the vombate cub by the road, while his mother tries to follow her desperately. The man who was filming is heard to laugh and comment, “Look at the mother, it’s chasing her!” While holding the animal, Jones says, “I caught a baby vombate,” being possible to hear the grunts of the offspring’s discomfort.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was striking in his reaction, stating that “seeing a baby vombate to be taken from the mother, clearly causing suffering, is simply an outrage.” Albanese also suggested ironically that the influencer tried to do the same with a baby crocodile to see “how would it be gone.”
PM Albanese lets rip on the “so-called influencer” who took a baby wombat from its mother.
PM “maybe she might try some other Australian animals. Take a baby crocodile from its mother & see how you go there.”🔥— stranger (@strangerous10)
Tony Burke, Minister of Internal Affairs, confirmed to the BBC that Jones’s visa is being reviewed. Australia’s vombat protective society also harshly criticized influencer’s behavior, noting that the forced separation of a mother’s child causes a severe stress to the animal and can be potentially illegal according to state and national laws.
Sam Jones tried to defend herself, stating that “the child was carefully insured for a minute and then released to the mother” and that the two “returned together to the bush, completely unharmed.” However, Suzanne Milthorpe of the world protection of Australia animals considered the action “simply unacceptable”, stressing that the vombates “are not a photographic prop or a toy.”
Foreign Minister Penny Wong also reacted, describing images as “horrible.” “I think everyone who has seen that would have thought: leave the baby vombate in peace. Leave it with your mother, ”he said.
On social networks, the Australian vombat protective society expressed concern about the fate of the child, warning that the animal was left on a rural road, which put it at risk of being run over. The organization also said there was no clear evidence that Vombate was successfully gathered with the mother.
