‘Hypocrisy at its finest’: US influencer speaks out after wombat backlash

A US influencer has left Australia following a public backlash over a social media post in which she allegedly took a baby wombat away from its mother, accusing her detractors of hypocrisy.

Hunting influencer Sam Jones (also known as Samantha Strable) deleted the viral video posted to her 92,000 followers of her picking up and running away with a wombat joey, but it was too late to stop the footage causing a public outcry. Wildlife experts condemned the video and said the behaviour was illegal.

The ensuing public backlash over the wombat video led to Immigration Minister Tony Burke confirming her visa was under review, with the department considering whether any laws had been breached. “I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return,” he said on Thursday.

This masthead has since confirmed that Jones, who posted the controversial video to her Instagram account, @samstrays_somewhere, independently left the country before a decision about her visa was made.

After making her Instagram private following the incident, Jones made the account public again on Friday with all of her Australian content removed, including videos of her appearing to handle an echidna in the wild, and pull a baby shark from a rock pool by its tail.

An image posted by Sam Jones to her Instagram account @samstrays_somewhere of an Australian chital she hunted.Credit: Instagram

In a new post on Friday, which she wrote was the “only public statement I have made regarding this incident”, Jones claimed she had been attempting to remove the wombat to safety after finding it “not moving” on the side of the road, saying she “was concerned it may have been sick or injured”.

Under Australian wildlife and prevention of cruelty to animal laws, which vary between states, it is generally illegal to interfere with native wildlife without a reasonable suspicion of injury or distress. It is still unknown when and in which state the incident took place.

“I ran not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me,” Jones’ statement said.

“I have done a great deal of reflection on this situation and have realised that I did not handle this situation as best I should have.

“I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused.”

In a second, longer post which begins “Am I a villain?” Jones said she had received “thousands” of death threats over the wombat incident, and criticised the culling of native species including wombats, as well as brumbies and introduced deer and pig species.

Wombats are generally protected by conservation laws in Australia, but culling is permitted in specific circumstances in different states. In NSW and Victoria, permits can be obtained, including when wombat populations cause significant property or agricultural damage.

“For the readers that are angered by my mistaken attempt to help and that I am a hunter – do not be blind to your country,” Jones wrote.

“Loving the National Parks and Wildlife Service of Australia while being angered [sic] at me for killing feral deer for food is hypocrisy at its finest.”

Jones, who has described herself as an “outdoor enthusiast” and hunter as well as a “wildlife biologist and environmental scientist”, posted a photo last month of her posing with a chital (deer) she had hunted in Australia.

“Got my first chital (Axis deer) [sic],” the caption read. “Australia is full of epic, wild deer and harvesting this beautiful stag marks my third deer species.”

The statements come after a TikTok account which claimed to be Jones, whose original account on the platform has been deleted, used posts to apologise and say she had received death threats over the incident. This masthead was unable to independently verify the owner of the account, which has since taken down the posts.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighed in at a press conference in Perth on Thursday, suggesting she try to take “another animal that can actually fight back, rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother”.

“I would suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she might try some other Australian animals. Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there,” Albanese said.

On Friday, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, asked whether he would readmit Jones if elected, also condemned the video.

“Every application will be assessed on its merits … I thought it was a cruel act, to be honest, and I’m glad that the influencer has now left, but I’m not going to give more publicity to somebody who craves it.”

Since the story first broke live on 2GB on Wednesday morning, it has gone on to receive international coverage, appearing on the BBC, as well as in American outlets including the New York Post and The Washington Post. Some gently mocked Australians’ protective attitude to their native wildlife.

With Kayla Olaya and Hamish Hastie

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