An influencer from the United States caught the attention of Australia’s immigration department after recording a video in which she removes a baby animal from its mother.
In the now-deleted clip, Samantha Jones appeared with a baby wombat, an Australian marsupial, that she had picked up from the middle of the road while its mother, visibly stressed by the situation, tried to chase her.
After posting the footage, Jones was investigated by Australian authorities. Tony Burke, Australia’s Minister for Immigration, said that the department is reviewing the video to determine whether she violated the country’s wildlife laws.
“The department is now reviewing the conditions of her current visa and determining whether immigration law has been violated,” Burke said in a statement, according to a report from the site news.co.au.
Burke said that the level of “scrutiny” Jones faced online due to the video may be enough to prevent her from returning to the country. “I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this person, I don’t expect her to return.”
An online petition calling for her deportation from Australia received more than 13,000 signatures last week. It is unclear whether Jones fled the country after the negative reaction to the video.
Photo and video: Instagram @samstrays_somewhere and X @theprojecttv. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.