An American hunting influencer has copped severe criticism while in Australia after she took a distressed baby wombat from its mother for a photo. Photo / @samstrays_somewhere
An American hunting influencer has copped severe criticism while in Australia after she took a distressed baby wombat from its mother for a photo. Photo / @samstrays_somewhere
There have been calls for a hunting influencer to be deported after footage went viral of her taking a baby wombat away from its mother for a photo
An American hunting influencer has sparked intense backlash after posting footage of herself capturing a wild baby wombaton the side of the road in Australia, removing it from its distressed mother for a photo.
It was posted by Sam Jones who has been previously referred to as Samantha Strable in a hunting publication and goes by the username @samstrays_somewhere on Instagram.
She claims to be a “wildlife biologist and environmental scientist”, and shared the disturbing video in a Reel that she’s since deleted amid the controversy.
The footage shows Jones catching the wombat on the side of the road during the night, while an Australian man films and hysterically laughs.
As she runs across the road holding the terrified animal, whose feet are dangling in the air, the man is heard saying, “Look at the mother, it’s chasing after her!”
An American hunting influencer could be seen picking up a baby wombat on the side of the road for a social media video. Photo / @samstrays_somewhere
The influencer then holds up the baby wombat, who is wriggling and clearly in distress, to the camera and smiles for a photo. The caption says that it was her “dream” to hold a baby wombat.
As the mother appears next to her, she says, “Okay, mama is right there, and she is pissed, let’s let him go”.
The person filming replies, “Nah, he’s all right”, as she places the baby back on the ground.
Jones added in the caption that “the baby and mum were safely united”.
At the time of writing, it has not been confirmed where or when the incident occurred.
American hunting influencer Sam Jones is facing fierce backlash after taking a baby wombat from it's mother while visiting Australia. pic.twitter.com/bGUvuxWGX7
All Australian animals are protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
The Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (Wires) has confirmed that actions which harm wildlife are illegal.
Penalties for animal cruelty offences vary by Australian state, with fines reaching as high as A$235,600 ($259,836) for individuals and A$250,000 ($275,688) for corporations, with potential imprisonment of up to seven years.
Wires wildlife vet Dr Tania Bishop told news.com.au that the wombat in the video is an at-foot joey, likely around 8 months old, and completely dependent on its mother.
The joey looked distressed as the woman posed and smiled for an Instagram photo opportunity. Photo / @samstrays_somewhere
“It would be with the mum at all times, relying on her for protection,” she said.
Not only would it be distressing to be removed from its mother at such a young, dependent age, but the manner in which Jones picked it up from the front of its body could have caused the joey serious injury.
“When she’s running, it’s not supported underneath, and wombats are incredibly solid, especially in their back end, so there’s every chance she could have fractured the upper humerus, or the top of the arms, or caused damage to the shoulders.
“You can see the joey swinging, but it’s also hissing and crying out, which is a sign of extreme distress,” she continued.
“You can also see the extreme distress the mother is in, chasing her across the road.”
She also points out that Jones put the mother in harm’s way as well - allowing it to potentially be hit by a car.
“This is just an extremely unacceptable way to treat our wildlife, which is already under incredible pressure right now,” she noted.
Wombats are under threat from various factors, including habitat loss from cyclones and fires, disease, road kill, and climate change.
The influencer removed the wombat from its distressed mother who chased after her. Photo / @samstrays_somewhere
Aussies call for deportation
When asked why she thinks some people believe this behaviour is acceptable, Bishop said it’s important to remember that this woman is a hunter and may have little regard for the welfare and life of an animal.
“But I would be very doubtful that many Australians watching that video would consider it acceptable at all,” she added.
And she’s spot on.
The backlash has been rapid, with online communities swiftly condemning her behaviour.
“It’s not just the entitlement, it’s the disrespect,” wrote one user on the r/australia subreddit after the video was re-shared there.
“That her first instinct isn’t one of awe and gratitude to see this animal in the wild, but to rush in and greedily exploit the moment for personal gain - regardless of the trauma it inflicts on anything and anyone else - speaks volumes about her character. Absolutely shameful.”
Wombats are under threat in Australia due to natural disasters, road kill, disease and climate change. Photo / Great Walks of AU
Others pointed out that she claims to be a “wildlife biologist” and “should have known better”.
According to her social media page, she was posting from Australia for much of 2024, and it’s unclear whether she is still in the country.
“Let’s hope the Australian authorities don’t issue her any more holiday visas in the future!” said one.
“Arrest. Fine. Deport. Ban,” demanded another.
News.com.au contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment and a spokesperson said the department does not comment on individual cases.
The influencer claims to be a wildlife biologist and environmental scientist on Instagram. Photo / @samstrays_somewhere
Influencer addresses backlash
Jones turned her public Instagram account, where she boasts more than 92,000 followers, to private at some point on Wednesday. She has also since switched her TikTok account to private.
However, before she deleted the video, she addressed the backlash in the Instagram comments, writing: “For everyone that’s worried and unhappy, the baby was carefully held for ONE minute in total and then released back to mum. They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed.
“I didn’t think I would be able to catch it in the first place, and took an opportunity to appreciate a really incredible animal up close.
“I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so.”
‘Take a photo’
Bishop wants to remind people that while Australian wildlife is incredible, they should be appreciated by simply taking a photo - “but you don’t have to pick them up”.
“They’re already under stress, we don’t need to do anything more to put them in danger,” she said.
“We need to enjoy them while we still can in the wild.”
In other photos of the influencer's time in Australia, she is seen picking up a baby shark. Photo / @samstrays_somewhere
Influencer’s troubling Instagram account
Jones’ Instagram feed is largely filled with images of her posing with dead animals she claims to have hunted.
In one of the videos on her page, she’s seen with a friend playing with a snake while in Australia and wrote, “Just casually f***ing around with a venomous snake”.
In others, she’s seen pulling a baby shark out of the ocean and picking up an echidna.
In another photo, she referred to kangaroos as “weird” and “rats”.
News.com.au has contacted Jones for comment.
There has been no illegality levelled against Jones or any charges laid.
