Australia’s interior minister yesterday said his department was reviewing the visa status of a US influencer who uploaded a video of her grabbing a baby wombat in an incident that has caused outrage in the country.
Sam Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter,” posted a now-deleted video to her 92,000 followers on Instagram taken in an unknown location in Australia.
In the film, Jones is shown running down the road toward a parked vehicle, from which she is being filmed, while clutching the joey.
“I caught a baby wombat,” Jones said to the camera as the joey hisses and screeches.
“OK, momma’s right there and she is pissed,” Jones then said, as the joey’s mother moves toward her. Jones then puts the joey back by the side of the road.
Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke in a statement said his department was reviewing the conditions of Jones’ visa and determining whether immigration law had been breached.
“Given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers,” he said. “I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return.”
Jones could not be reached for comment. Her Instagram account has since been set to private and it was not clear if she remained in the country.
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) said the video was distressing.
“It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it?” she said in an interview with Channel Seven.
“Really, leave the wombat alone,” she added.
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese said it was “an outrage” Jones had separated the joey from its mother.
Di Evans, a senior scientific officer at RSPCA Australia, said the video showed a “blatant disregard” for native wildlife.
“The distress caused by the callous act is obvious with the joey screeching for their mother and the mother being extremely anxious,” she said.
“Removing a joey from their mother is extremely distressing and any separation is harmful. The video shows this strong maternal bond,” she added.
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