Sam Jones, a US influencer, has left Australia after briefly taking a baby wombat from its distressed mother and posting the footage on social media. Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had previously mentioned that his department was reviewing the possibility of revoking Ms. Jones’s visa, but it is understood that she chose to leave the country on her own. Burke celebrated her departure, stating that it is a good time to be a baby wombat. The video of Jones taking the baby wombat and laughing while running away from the mother caused outrage across Australia. Jones, who goes by the name Samantha Strable, has made her social media account private and deleted the post. The incident received widespread condemnation, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese calling it an “outrage” and Foreign Minister Penny Wong labeling it “dreadful.” Opposition leader Peter Dutton also condemned the act as “cruel” and expressed relief at Jones’ departure. An online petition calling for her deportation gathered over 30,000 signatures, but as Jones had not been charged or deemed a threat, the government may not have had grounds for canceling her visa. In deleted comments, Jones claimed that the baby wombat was held for only one minute and then released back to its mother. However, wildlife experts have criticized her actions as a “blatant disregard” for native wildlife. The Wombat Protection Society expressed shock at the “mishandling” of a wombat joey for the sake of social media likes. Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection Australia, described posting such a video for “cheap content” as “unacceptable” and emphasized the distress and potential harm caused to the baby wombat. Wombats are a legally protected species in Australia, and any separation from their mothers can be distressing and harmful.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0rz4e9185qo