The internet has called for an American hunting influencer to be punished after recording herself stealing a baby wombat from its mother during a visit to Australia.

Sam Jones, an influencer from Montana who considers herself a wildlife biologist, shared the now-deleted video on Instagram showing her grabbing the baby wombat and running to a vehicle while the animal's mother chased after her.

"I caught the baby wombat," Jones said while holding the young marsupial. "OK, mom is right there and she is pissed. Let's let him go," she added before placing the wombat back on the ground in a clip circulating on X.

"My dream of holding a wombat has been realized! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush," she wrote in the video's caption, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The video drew swift backlash. Not only are all Australian animals protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, meaning Jones can be fined up to $235,600 and sentenced to up to seven years in prison, but Dr. Tania Bishop, a wildlife vet, stated she may have hurt the baby wombat, which she said was around 8 months old.

"When she's running, it's not supported underneath, and wombats are incredibly solid, especially in their back end, so there's every chance she could have fractured the upper humerus, or the top of the arms, or caused damage to the shoulders," Bishop told News.com.au.

Social media users quickly condemned Jones for her thoughtless act, with many calling for her deportation.

"Track her down and lock her up for stealing a baby," one X user suggested.

"I'd appreciate it if the both of them could be fined and for her to be sent back to America immediately," another added.

The hunting influencer has since made her Instagram account private.

Originally published by Latin Times

Tags
Influencer, Social media, Instagram, Australia, Animals