An American social influencer faced widespread Australian anger after posting a video that caused public controversy.
Sam Jones creates wilderness and wildlife videos from her Montana base as Samantha Strable.
All members of Australia’s community now oppose her activities after a bad behavior event happened to her there.
Jones recorded on camera as she picked up a baby wombat from a road when its mother chased quickly behind.
In the footage, she laughs while holding the distressed animal up to the camera, exclaiming, “I caught a baby wombat!”
Though the joey gave warning by hissing she kept moving toward her car – she clearly knew the danger was growing.
Eventually, she put the baby wombat back down, saying, “OK, mom is right there…and she is p**sed. Alright, let’s let him go.”
By the moment she returned the animal to its proper place the video had already reached online users everywhere.
Welfare professionals blamed the woman for mistreating the joey since these interactions would likely hurt it.
Dr. Tania Bishop pointed out that transporting the wombat in this manner could have results in severe harm to its body.
According to Bishop the wombat needed support underneath its body during running because it carries a powerful heavy physique.
People opposed to the handling detected a strong possibility that the joey’s mother would kick out her baby due to human scents and this created widespread disapproval.
Australians strongly reacted against Jones because they saw her actions as dangerous and wrong.\
Credit: (Youtube/ABC News (Australia))
After facing public backlash the government took notice and expressed refusal while mentioning possible legal consequences.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not hold back, calling the stunt an “outrage” and mocking Jones’ behavior.
“Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there,” he remarked, criticizing her lack of understanding of native wildlife.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke expressed that Australia would be better off without Kristy Jones because of her actions.
“I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual. He believes she will not come back to Australia.
Credit: (Youtube/ABC News (Australia))
People talked about if Jones broke Australian animal protection rules and kept the country safe from foreign species.
Members of the public united against Jones by signing a document that would send her back to her home country.
The growing controversy made Jones remove her social media presence and issued a formal explanation.
Jones revealed she found the joey because it seemed unwell and never intended to cause damage.
“I was concerned it may have been sick or injured and made a snap judgment to pick up the joey,” Jones wrote.
Credit: (Instagram/samstrays_somewhere)
She explained she started running because she feared the adult wombat would strike at her instead of taking the baby.
The public reaction against Jones continued getting worse as people started wondering if the government would cancel her visa status.
Jones ended her Australian stay because people began to protest strongly about the incident.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke expressed his disbelief by saying Australians now enjoy exceptional conditions for baby wombats.
The public attention on this matter makes it difficult for Jones to visit Australia again even though authorities did not charge her officially.
The incident shows people must be accountable for their online impact when promoting wildlife to their followers.
The general public will remember Jones’s impact for an extended period though she left Australia.
Feature Image Credit: (Youtube/ABC News (Australia)) and (Instagram/samstrays_somewhere)