A wombat from Hanover Zoo, Germany. Sam Jones, a self-proclaimed outdoor enthusiast who follows large social media, was widely criticized in Australia after temporarily lying down Wombat Joey by his mother in the evening. Julian Stratenschulte/Picture Alliance via Getty Images hides captions
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Julian Stratenschulte/Picture Alliance by Getty Images
Australians are celebrating the departure of American influencers who have separated their baby wombats from their mothers as concerns continue about animal well-being.
Sam Jones, a self-proclaimed outdoor enthusiast based in Montana and a hunter with over 91,000 Instagram followers, drew anger this week when he posted a video of himself snatching a baby wombat from the side of the road in the darkness of the night.
As she runs into her car and carries a wombat with its front paw, her mother can be seen running towards them.
“I caught a baby wombat,” says Jones excitedly, as the animal twitches, grasping the shoes and posing for the camera. “OK, mom is there and she’s mad.”
The video ends in a few seconds, and Jones calls out to Mom, and is no longer visible – leaving the baby alone on the side of the road, and in the dark.
American hunting influencer Sam Jones faces intense rebound after stolen a baby wombat from his mother while visiting Australia. pic.twitter.com/bguvuxwgx7
– Project (@theprojecttv) March 12, 2025
Jones then deleted the video and temporarily made Instagram private, but not before the clip spread to social media, it angered Australian viewers, wildlife groups and top politicians.
“It’s just anger to bring a baby wombat from a mother and bring pain from her mother obviously,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters Thursday. “I suggest this so-called influencer. Maybe she should try other Australian animals. Take the baby crocodile from the mother, see how you get there, take another animal that can actually fight back… see how you get there.”
Since the Jones video began, she was called to be deported and banned further. Home Minister Tony Burke said his office is reviewing the terms of Jones’ visa to determine whether she violated it.
“Anyway, given the level of scrutiny that happens if she applies for a visa again, she’ll be surprised if she bothers her,” he told the Australian broadcasting company. “We can’t wait for Australia to see the behind the scenes of this individual.”
The Australian government announced on Friday that Jones had voluntarily left the country.
According to the Associated Press, Burke said in a statement that “we’ve never had a day before becoming a baby wombat in Australia.”
Jones apologises and distracts
Jones tackled the controversy in two lengthy statements on his Instagram page, saying, “I realized I’m not dealing with this situation the best.”
She says she came to Mama and Joey on the road and they went out of the way of traffic, but got worried when Joey didn’t move, and made a “snap judgement” to pick it up and see if it hurt. She escaped from her mother “from the fear that she might attack me,” and said, “I assured her mother and Joey were reunited, departed together, and they were down the road.”
“I want to make it clear that this isn’t about getting social media or anything I like,” she wrote. “This was not being performed and not for entertainment. Amidst excitement and concern, I acted too quickly and failed to provide the audience with the necessary context online.”
She spoke a more defensive tone in her second post. The Australian government has accused the landowners of allowing them to “feed you” the massacre of thousands of wombats and other animals each year.
Wombats are Australia’s protected species, but some local governments can issue permissions to cull them for land management purposes.
“The Prime Minister is doing harm to me by picking up a wombat, but I will see what’s going on in Australia, surrounding the real problems it faces, and decide for myself whether I’m a good, hard work, someone who’s making a mistake, really your villain,” she wrote.
Wildlife group says she may have broken the law
Several wildlife groups say Jones’ actions did not simply cross the line, but potentially violated the law.
Under the Environmental and Biodiversity Protection Act, it is illegal to move or kill certain animals, and various Australian states, including New South Wales and Queensland, prohibit wombat trapping or relocating without a federal license. It is not clear where Australian Jones filmed the video.
“It’s not only appalling to take away a baby wombat screaming from a mother, but it can be very illegal under Australian state or national law,” said Suzanne Millthorpe, head of the World Animal Protection Campaign for Australia and New Zealand.
The group has called on the Australian government to investigate Jones’ actions, saying, “If she breaks the law, it’s a penalty for this outrageously harmful behavior.”
The photos put both of them at risk
Even if it wasn’t illegal, wildlife experts say Jones’ wombat handling has been put in potentially permanent danger.
“There is no clear evidence that Joey was successfully reunited with his mother,” says Australia’s Wombat Protection Society. “Baby of this size is heavily dependent on the mother, and long-term separation can have fatal consequences.”
Four professors in ecology and animal science at three Australian universities (Julie Old, Dale Nimo, Hailey Stannard and Robert Davis) wrote in a joint column in the conversation that Wombat Joey is completely dependent on his mother between 18 months and two years.
They said the pain between the isolated mom and baby is obvious and damaging.
“When you interact with wild creatures, you interrupt what they are doing,” they wrote. “This can hurt individuals and often groups by inducing physical or psychological stress and inducing behavioral changes.”
They also noted that the incident has appeared on the roads and increased the risk of babies hitting a vehicle, one of the women’s biggest threats. Another major threat to the species is the mange. This is an infectious skin disease caused by mites that can be fatal without treatment and can affect the humans who touch them.
Scholars said Jones was “lucky” to not get injured by the teeth and claws of the wombat, but with a munch, “it could “come down in the cabies” as the two conditions are caused by the same tick.
“If you can’t attract your audience to the wonders of wildlife without harassing wildlife, it’s probably time to rethink and refine your social media strategy,” they concluded.
Wildlife experts stress that, like everyone else, influencers and tourists should do their best to assess nature from a safe distance and carefully study ethical methods to visit and volunteer with animals.
“If you feel like you’re suffering from this video like most people, it encourages you to think about what you can do in your own life to love and respect the wildlife around you.”
