An American social media influencer is facing massive backlash in Australia and may be barred from visiting the country after she bragged about taking a screaming baby wombat away from its mother in a stunt.
Sam Jones — a self-described “outdoor enthusiast” and “wildlife biologist” with 92,000 followers on her now-private Instagram page — shared a clip from the land down under showing her grabbing the wombat cub, or joey, and running away with it as the mama marsupial could initially be seen dashing away.
Jones proceeded to scurry down a road as she held the cub from under its front legs in the clip as a voice off camera laughed and remarked on the mother chasing after her baby as it hissed and shrieked in Jones’ hands.
Jones, who could be seen smiling with the frightened cub in her hands, later brought the baby back to the side of the road after noticing its “pissed” mother.
“My dream of holding a wombat has been realized! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush,” Jones reportedly captioned the clip.
Jones’ visa is currently under review by Australia’s Department of Immigration as officials determine whether she violated the law, Australia’s Sky News reported.
“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,” said Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke in a statement to the network.
“I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return.”
It’s unclear whether Jones is still in the country or not. HuffPost has reached out to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs for comment.
The clip was met with anger from Australian social media users, who called for Jones to be banned from the country.
“It’s not just the entitlement it’s the disrespect,” wrote one Reddit user on a subreddit dedicated to the country.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, in an interview with the “Sunrise” show on Australia’s Seven Network, weighed in on the “dreadful” footage before booting questions on whether Jones should be deported to other officials.
“But, really, leave the wombat alone,” she added.
Tania Bishop — a wildlife veterinarian with WIRES, which describes itself as Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organization — told Australia’s ABC that the joey in the clip was “completely dependent” on its mother and the way Jones held the cub could have “very easily” led to injuries.