Australian animal advocacy groups are “appalled” by a US influencer’s actions after she appeared to post a video of herself temporarily removing a baby wombat from its mother.
Sam Jones, a hunting enthusiast from Montana, was filmed taking a baby wombat from the side of the road for a photo opportunity.
In the since-deleted footage shared to Instagram, Jones could be seen picking up a small joey wombat and running to a car, while the mother wombat appeared to become distressed.
It is not known when or where the incident took place.
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Jones then returned the smaller wombat to the grassy side of the road after filming the encounter.
Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) vet Dr. Tania Bishop told 9news.com.au she was “absolutely appalled” by the footage.
“You see her grab the joey that’s completely dependent on the mum away by the forearms, which are a really weak point, especially in a young joey like that,” Dr Bishop said.
“My concern is whether or not there was tendon, ligament damage, muscle damage, nerve damage to the upper arm… but not only that, there’s psychological damage to both the mother and the joey.”
Dr Bishop said the joey was in “extreme distress” and it displayed that through hissing and calling back to its mother.
“That’s the joey desperately calling for the mum and a pain stress response,” she said.
“And the mum risking her own safety crossing a road to come to the predator that’s just taken her joey away, indicates just how much wildlife mums really do care for their young.”
She said the influencer was lucky she wasn’t bitten by the baby wombat or its mother.
“It’s just a completely inappropriate and wrong way to interact with, with any animals, let alone our native wildlife,” Dr Bishop added.
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A spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also slammed the footage.
Senior vice president Jason Baker said Australian animals are not “props” to use for social media.
“PETA’s message is simple: leave animals alone. They are not props for Instagram,” Baker told 9news.com.au.
“This blatant disregard for wildlife is yet another case of someone exploiting an animal for social media clout.”
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Baker said it was clear the mother and joey were “distressed” and hope the animals were now safe and had been reunited.
“This should serve as a reminder that human actions can terrify and even harm others,” he added.
A spokesperson for RSPCA Australia said Australian native animals should never be handled by people in the wild.
“This video shows a blatant disregard for our native wildlife. The distress caused by the callous act is obvious with the joey screeching for their mother and the mother being extremely anxious,” said Dr Di Evans, Senior Scientific Officer at RSPCA.
“Removing a joey from their mother is extremely distressing and any separation is harmful. The video shows this strong maternal bond.
“Our native species including the critically endangered Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat are protected under commonwealth and state/territory conservation laws.”
Jones said in the video caption to her 92,000 followers it was her “dream” to hold a baby wombat.
The exact location of this incident in Australia remains unknown.
Elsewhere during her visit to Australia, Jones shared footage of herself cradling an echidna.
Jones set her Instagram account to private shortly after 9news.com.au contacted her for comment.
Australian native animals are protected under both state and Commonwealth legislation.
It varies from state to state, however some states including the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), New South Wales, Tasmania it is illegal to take, catch or harm native animals. No charges have been laid in relation to this incident.
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