American gun-toting ‘influencer’ Sam Stray snatched a baby wombat from its mother so she could post pictures to her Instagram account.
Her Australian visa is now under review by Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke.
Influencer Sam Jones describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter” and goes by the username @samstrays_somewhere on Instagram.
Sam also has an X (formerly Twitter) account at @SamstrayS.
She posted a video to Instagram showing herself holding a baby wombat she’d snatched from its mother whilst laughing and running away from the distraught mother wombat.
The video also shows the baby wombat hissing in distress. Jones then returns the wombat to the bush.
Sky News (Australia) reported that Minister Burke had provided the network with a statement confirming Jones’ visa was under review.
According to Sky, the statement said:
The department is now working through the conditions on her 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.
I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual. I don’t expect she will return.
With The Guardian (Australia) and Sky News.
