Influencer Sam Jones Faces Backlash After Picking Baby Wombat in Australia

Social media influencer Sam Jones is currently drawing intense criticism after a video of her picking up a baby wombat and taking it away from its mother in Australia went viral on Instagram. Many have called out Jones for her behavior, given that wombats are a critically endangered species.

So, here’s everything you need to know regarding the recent controversy surrounding the popular internet personality.

Sam Jones faces backlash after picking baby wombat

A recent video online featuring the social media influencer saw her grabbing an infant wombat by the road, after which she paced to her car, leaving behind the animal’s concerned mother. The man filming Sam Jones reacted to the situation by laughing and saying, “Look at the mother, it’s chasing after her!”

Moreover, Jones relayed her excitement by stating, “I caught a baby wombat.” During this, the infant marsupial struggled to escape her grasp. She also added a caption to the now-deleted video, which read, “My dream of holding a wombat has been realized! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush.”

The internet personality also took time to respond to the backlash in the comment section of her post. She wrote, “The [wombat] baby was carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom. They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed. I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so,” as per BBC.

The resultant criticism has led to Sam Jones making her Instagram account, which boasts a follower count of around 92,000, private. In her bio, she has even stated that she is a “wildlife biologist” and “environmental scientist.” Meanwhile, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has conveyed that immigration officers are currently reviewing Jones’ visa.

“Given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers,” said Burke in a statement to BBC. This development comes after a petition was filed on Change.org, demanding Jones’ deportation. At the time of writing, the appeal has garnered over 31,000 signatures.