US influencer who snatched baby wombat has left Australia
Sam Jones, American influencer A baby bag briefly snatched from the distressed mother And uploaded the video to social media that has left Australia.
Australia’s interior minister Tony Burke said earlier that his department was reviewing whether Ms. Jones’ visa could be revoked, but the BBC knew she had left her country.
“There has never been a better time to be a baby than it is now,” Burke said in a brief statement celebrating Jones’ departure on Friday.
Jones posted a video saying that anger broke out in Australia while she was hiding away from the upset Wombat.
The video also shows the baby’s hissing before he was killed, which Jones then returned to the bush.
Jones, also named after Samantha Strable, has nearly 100,000 followers and describes herself as an “outdoor lover and hunter” in her Instagram profile. She has since privatized her account and deleted her posts.
Her video was quickly widely condemned, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the incident “angry”.
Foreign Secretary Penny Wong called the video “terrible.”
Opposition leader Peter Dutton said Friday he thought it was a “cruel move” and he was “happy” that influencers have now left.
The online petition asking Jones to deport from Australia received more than 30,000 signatures.
But, since Jones is not charged and not seen as a threat to the country – the government may not have any reason to cancel the visa.
“The baby was carefully held for a total of one minute and was released to the mother,” Ms. Jones said in a comment.
“They were completely unharmed and returned to the bushes,” she wrote. “I never captured the wildlife that I would hurt if I did this.”
However, wildlife experts believe that Jones’ behavior is a “blatant disregard” of local wildlife.
The Fort Walker Conservancy said it was shocked to see “Joey Joey’s misfortune” when it was “amid the obvious “social media likes.”
“It is not only shocking to snatch screaming baby kangaroos from mothers, but it is likely to be illegal under state or national laws,” said Suzanne Milthorpe, head of the Australian World Animal Sanctuary campaign. “Kangaroos are not photo props or toys.”
Kangaroos are native to Australia and are a nationally protected species. Protectionists say that infant couples have strong connections with their mothers and any separation can be painful and harmful.
