American who grabbed baby wombat from its mother not welcome down under
Sam Jones with baby wombat. Screenshot ABC News video: ‘Come forward': Wombat Rescue calls on US influencer to hand herself in.
A video of a so-called “hunting influencer” from the United States has caused a furore down under. Sam Jones, aka Samantha Strable, posted footage of herself snatching a baby wombat away from its mother on an Australian roadside. Jones has since removed the video from her Instagram account (samstrays_somewhere), but not before countless social media users saved the post:
@g0ldl33f An American woman in Australia took a baby wombat from its mother for a video. After that, she was criticized by the country's prime minister, immigration services began checking her entry documents, and a petition calling for the woman to be deported has gained thousands of signatures. Woman 😏 #wombat #american #australia
An American woman in Australia took a baby wombat from its mother for a video. After that, she was criticized by the country's prime minister, immigration services began checking her entry documents, and a petition calling for the woman to be deported has gained thousands of signatures.
Jones has around 96,000 followers on Instagram and describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter”. She has claimed she has received thousands of death threats since the video went viral.
Social media platforms that pride themselves on their respectful content saw heated condemnation of Jones’s behaviour. BlueSky users were very forceful in their criticism. Some shared Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's sarcastic suggestion to tackle a baby crocodile next time:
“Take another animal that can actually fight back rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother.”
— Matt Novak (@paleofuture.bsky.social) March 14, 2025 at 2:31 AM
Sam Jones left Australia soon after the incident, following the Immigration Minister’s threat to review her tourist visa. He was quoted as saying, “There's never been a better day to be a wombat in Australia.” She posted an apology and justification for her actions on Instagram, claiming she was trying to protect the baby wombat and move it so it wouldn't get hit by cars:
Many critics were unimpressed by her apology and attempt at an explanation:
“Baby wombat-snatching US influencer apologises and says she was ‘concerned’ for Australian animal”
Concerned for its welfare my arse. Just learn when to shut the fuck up.
www.theguardian.com/environment/…— Jenny Frecklington-Jones (@joneshowdareyou.bsky.social) March 15, 2025 at 12:40 PM
“Wombat grabber” soon became a popular term:
“Wombat grabber” is now the greatest Australian insult. To grab a wombat — look there’s just no coming back from that
— Andrew Stafford (@andrewstafford.bsky.social) March 14, 2025 at 11:36 AM
However, not all animal lovers were on board. At The Guardian, Victorian Animal Justice parliamentarian Georgie Purtell accused other politicians of hypocrisy:
The irony of our country’s leaders condemning the actions of a young tourist’s treatment of a wombat while shamelessly sanctioning their slaughter is impossible to overlook.
Kangaroos, native birds, possums, black swans and emus are just a few of the many native animals that landholders are granted licences to kill…
These sentiments echoed a statement by Sam Jones on Instagram. Soon after her apology, she pivoted to critiquing the Australian government for permitting “the slaughter of wombats”:
It is illegal to kill wombats in Australia, and trapping is only allowed with a Federal permit.
Due to the controversy, it's unlikely that Jones will be welcome back in Australia in the near future. This viewpoint was common on Oz social media:
Sam Jones, you will not be forgotten for this act of cruelty. You are not welcome here.
— Jane Smith (@janehappywife.bsky.social) March 13, 2025 at 5:42 PM
