Wombat woman’s new mug shot reveals new hunting drama
After fleeing Australia in a storm of controversy, there’s a fresh update on the woman who manhandled a baby wombat.
The woman who snuck out of Australia after footage of her grabbing a baby wombat from the road went viral has been arrested in the US over alleged hunting violations.
Samantha Strable, who also goes by Sam Jones online, is currently facing multiple charges over claims she lied about her residency to get hunting tags in Wyoming.
Ms Strable was booked into a county jail in Sublette, a county in the mountainous region, on November 21, according to a local media outlet.
Ms Strable is accused of falsely declaring she lived in the landlocked state in order to obtain several local Wyoming resident hunting licenses, according to charges filed in court.
The 25-year-old is now facing eight misdemeanour charges, including six counts of false swearing and one count each of taking wildlife without a license.
She also has been charged with nonresident hunting without a guide in a wilderness area, according to court records.
Court records indicate Ms Strable lives in Great Falls, Montana, a detail that was also reported when she went viral in March for grabbing the young wombat during a trip to Australia.
Footage of her “harassing” the native animal during her travels angered the entire nation, and subsequently sent shockwaves around the world.
Thousands of distressed Australians called for Ms Strable to face punishment for her actions. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke also condemned the hunting influencer, stating Australia was “glad to see the back of her”, after she quietly departed amid a storm of controversy.
A Change.org petition was also created calling for the influencer to be banned from Australia. It amassed almost 50,000 signatures before it was closed.
In the video, the self-described “wildlife biologist and environmental scientist” can be seen catching the baby wombat on the side of the road during the night, while an Australian man records the incident and hysterically laughs.
With the baby dangling from her arms, Ms Strable runs across the road holding the visibly terrified animal, and the joey’s mother can be seen running after them.
“Look at the mother, it’s chasing after her,” the man is heard saying.
The influencer then holds up the baby wombat to the camera and smiles for a photo, captioning the clip that it was her “dream” to hold the native Australian animal.
She then returns the young marsupial to its mother, noting she is “pissed”, but adds in the caption that “the baby and mum were safely united”.
After calls to “deport her”, Ms Strable released a bizarre apology statement, which suggested Australians were hypocritical in their treatment of native animals and that the public backlash had put her life in danger.
“‘Am I a villain? Things, dear reader, are not as they seem,” she wrote.
“Over holding a wombat, thousands threaten my life.
“Let me be clear. These same people ought to understand the reality of Australia today. For the readers that are so angered by my mistaken attempt to help and that I am a hunter – do not be blind to your country.”
The prime minister Albanese ripped into the influencer in an astonishing rebuke shortly after, challenging her to “take another animal that can actually fight back”.
“I suggest to this so-called influencer maybe she might try some other Australian animals,” he said.
“Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.”
Ms Strable later expressed regret for how she handled the incident, stating she was “truly sorry for the distress” she had caused, but emphasised her only intent was to make sure the animals were not in danger.
“When we found the mother and joey on a road, not moving. I was extremely concerned,” she said.
“As wombats are so often hit on Australian roads, I stopped to ensure they got off the road safely and didn’t get hit.”
She’s stayed out of public attention until now, after US authorities reportedly received an anonymous tip on August 11 stating, “Samantha Strable continues to buy resident tags even though she hasn’t resided in Wyoming over two years, and brags about it on social media to over 90,000 followers”.
The Cowboy State Daily reports that a search of the Game and Fish license database shows Ms Strable started buying resident license in 2022.
However, social media posts from April 30, 2024, to June 28, 2025, allegedly placed her in Montana, North Dakota.
The charges Ms Strable faces carry large fines and potential jail time.
She was released from custody on her own recognisance on the same day she was booked.
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Originally published as Wombat woman’s new mug shot reveals new hunting drama
