Sam Jones Sparks Outrage After Wombat Snatch-and-Run in Australia
Ah, the age of social media, where influencers like Sam Jones can turn a wildlife encounter into a viral debacle. The American influencer recently captured the ire of the internet after she posted a now-infamous video of herself snatching a baby wombat from its mother in Australia, prompting a wave of outrage and calls for her deportation. In the clip, which has since been deleted from her private Instagram account, Jones can be seen gleefully clutching the distressed joey as its mother rushes towards her, clearly agitated. “I caught a baby wombat,” she declares, blissfully unaware of the chaos she’s causing.
Despite the baby wombat’s obvious distress—complete with hissing and screeching—Jones held onto the creature, only to eventually release it back onto the road. The incident ended without clarity on whether the joey successfully reunited with its mother, a crucial detail considering the deep bond between marsupial mothers and their young. In a comment under her now-deleted post, Jones claimed that both animals “wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed,” but the lack of evidence supporting this claim left many skeptical.
The backlash was swift and severe. Australian wildlife organizations, including the Wombat Protection Society, condemned her actions, asserting that such human interference can have “fatal consequences” for vulnerable animals. Dr. Tania Bishop, a Wires Wildlife veterinarian, stressed that it’s illegal to interact with wildlife without proper licensing, a sentiment echoed across various conservation platforms.
As the outrage escalated, an online petition calling for her deportation garnered over 25,000 signatures. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke hinted at a review of her visa status, suggesting that her future in Australia may be as bleak as her grasp on wildlife etiquette. It seems that in a world where influencers often find themselves on the wrong side of public opinion, Jones is just the latest to learn that some stunts aren’t worth the likes they might attract.
The incident serves as a stark reminder that, while social media can amplify a fleeting moment, it can also illuminate ignorance with startling clarity. One can only hope that this little wombat, and its mother, find peace far away from the influencer spotlight.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and NBC News, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 10 News First
Image Credit: Title: Untitled, Author: No author info, License: [‘cc_attribute’, ‘cc_nonderived’, ‘cc_publicdomain’]
