The American influencer who made headlines with her video where she was seen snatching a baby wombat from its mother in Australia has left the country.
The video went viral, with many commenters condemning Samantha Strable, better known by her social media username, Sam Jones.
The influencer who went viral after snatching a baby wombat from its mother has left Australia
Highlights
- Samantha Strable, known as Sam Jones on social media, has left Australia.
- The influencer went viral for snatching a baby wombat from its mother.
- Both the Australian public and government officials are happy the influencer is gone.
Image credits: samstrays_somewhere
Image credits: samstrays_somewhere
According to news.com.au, the influencer left the country on the morning of Friday, March 14. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that the department is now working through the conditions on her current visa and determining whether immigration law has been breached.
“Either way, given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers,” Burke added.
“I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return,” Burke continued.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese challenged the influencer to “take another animal that can actually fight back”
Australians, along with government officials, shared that they were glad to see the influencer leave. Taking things further, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese challenged the controversial influencer to “take another animal that can actually fight back” on Thursday, March 13.
“I 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,” he added.
On Thursday, Australia’s foreign minister, Penny Wong, also spoke about the influencer’s disturbing video.
“It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it? I will leave those sorts of questions [about whether the influencer should be deported] to Tony Burke and to the authorities, but, really, leave the wombat alone,” Wong said.
A Change.org petition that demanded the influencer be deported received over 30,000 signatures
Image credits: samstrays_somewhere
The backlash for the influencer was massive. A Change.org petition was also created following the recent video, demanding the influencer be banned from visiting Australia.
“Samstrays_somewhere should be deported from the country immediately and banned from ever returning,” the petition reads.
Sam Jones was seen snatching the baby wombat from its mother and smiling in the viral video
The video posted by Samantha Strable, under the name Sam Jones, sparked fury on social media when it was shared on Reddit by disturbed Aussies.
In the video, the self-described “wildlife biologist and environmental scientist” can be seen snatching the baby wombat from her mother on the side of the road at night while an Australian man records the incident and laughs hysterically.
With the terrified baby wombat dangling in her hands, the influencer runs across the road with a smile on her face. The joey’s noticeably distressed mother is also seen chasing after them.
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.
Viewers called the video “disgusting” and asked for the influencer to be “deported”
“This is disgusting,” one viewer wrote under the video, as another user called for the influencer to be “deported” from Australia. The hunting influencer, who had over 92,000 followers, defended her actions as she said she didn’t harm the joey.
“For everyone that’s worried and unhappy, the baby was carefully held for ONE minute in total and then released back to mom,” she explained.
Image credits: samstrays_somewhere
Australia’s Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) told news.com.au on Wednesday, March 12, that the incident could be illegal since all Australian animals are protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
While penalties for animal cruelty crimes vary by state, fines reach as high as $235,600 ($148,000 USD) for individuals and $250,000 ($157,000 USD) for corporations, along with the possibility of imprisonment of up to seven years as a maximum sentence.
Online users commented on the news that Samantha Strable was leaving Australia
