"Pretty terrible" Influencer outrages an entire nation with her behavior

In Australia, an influencer has caught a baby wombat. The incident triggered a wave of outrage in Australia.

A video showing a US influencer grabbing a baby wombat has sparked outrage in Australia. The video, which was published on Instagram and has since been deleted, shows the woman, identified by Australian media as outdoor influencer Sam Jones, snatching the hissing and kicking young animal from the ground in the wild and then triumphantly saying to the camera: "I caught a baby wombat!" She later drops the wild animal off on the side of a country road.

The incident caused a storm of indignation among animal lovers and conservationists, and members of the government also spoke out. The footage was "pretty horrific", commented Foreign Minister Penny Wong on the incident on Channel Seven television on Thursday. "Anyone who has seen this will think, 'please, leave the wombat alone'."

"Abused in the hunt for likes"

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says he is now investigating whether the woman breached her visa conditions. "I can't wait for this individual to leave Australia, I don't think she will be coming back," he said.

The Australian Society for the Protection of Wombats criticized the influencer for apparently "abusing a wombat cub in the pursuit of likes". She then left the defenceless young animal on the side of the road, putting it at risk of being run over.

Wombats are roundish marsupials that live in underground burrows and are common in southern and eastern Australia.