Australia reviews visa of American influencer filmed snatching baby wombat

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By Alasdair Pal

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia’s interior minister said on Thursday his department was reviewing the visa status of a American influencer who uploaded a video of her grabbing a baby wombat in an incident that has caused outrage in the country.

Sam Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast and hunter”, posted a now-deleted video to her 92,000 followers on Instagram taken in an unknown location in Australia.

It shows her picking up the baby wombat, a protected species of marsupial found only in Australia, that is seen struggling and heard hissing as its mother follows on the road behind. The woman later places the wombat back on the road.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement his department was reviewing the conditions of Jones’ current visa and determining whether immigration law had been breached.

“Given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers,” he said.

“I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return.”

Jones could not be reached for comment. Her Instagram account has since been set to private and it was not clear if she remained in the country.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the video was distressing.

“It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it?” she said in an interview with Channel Seven on Thursday.

“Really, leave the wombat alone.”

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)