Wombat-grabbing influencer cops more flack: Australian PM Anthony Albanese criticises Sam Jones

Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese has condemned a United States influencer who was filmed snatching a baby wombat away from its mother.

Immigration officials are reviewing Sam Jones’ visa following outrage over the video, which she posted to her 90,000 followers on Instagram.

The now-deleted clip showed her picking up the animal, a protected species, before running with it to a car as its mother chased them.

As she ran, a man off-camera could be heard laughing while saying: “Look at the mother, it’s chasing after her”.

The video later showed her putting the wombat down and releasing it.

However, Albanese described the incident as an “outrage” and suggested that Jones “take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there”.

Tony Burke, the country’s interior minister, confirmed on Thursday that his department was reviewing the influencer’s immigration status and suggested she may have difficulty returning to Australia in future.

He said: “Given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers.

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

American influencer Sam Jones holding the baby wombat after removing it from its distressed mother. Photo / @samstrays_somewhere

TikTok apology

Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, also criticised the influencer during an interview with the broadcaster Channel Seven.

She said: “It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it? Really, leave the wombat alone”.

More than 22,000 people have signed a petition calling for Jones, who describes herself as “an outdoor enthusiast and hunter”, to be deported.

However, it is not clear if she is still in Australia and her Instagram account has now been set to private.

The Wombat Protection Society of Australia also said in a statement: “We are expressing shock and concern over the actions of a tourist who mishandled a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for ‘social media likes’.”

Jones later issued an apology on TikTok, the video-sharing platform.

She told viewers: “Guys … I’m really sorry about the wombat incident. It was a mistake. I’m professional and all the people hating, it’s enough. I learnt my lesson".