Influencer who took baby wombat from its mother sentenced for separate incident
An influencer who sparked international outrage after sharing footage of her snatching a baby wombat has been sentenced in relation to another animal-related incident.
Samantha Strable went viral for all the wrong reasons last year amid her antics in Australia, which prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to publicly lambast her.
This week, the 26-year-old content creator from the US found out her fate in a Wyoming court after prosecutors slapped eight charges against her.
Strable - better known as Sam Jones or Samantha Jo in the online realm - was facing jail time and a hefty fine after getting into trouble in her home country.
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She was arrested in November last year after the Wyoming Game and Fish Department received an anonymous tip about her hunting without a guide.
According to Aussie news outlet The Herald Sun, Strable was accused of continuing 'to buy resident tags even though she hasn’t resided in Wyoming for over two years - and brags about it on social media to over 90,000 followers'.
If you reside out of this US state for 180 days, under hunting laws, you lose your residency. You must live in Wyoming for a full calendar year before attempting to obtain hunting licenses as a resident.
According to an affidavit obtained by the publication, Strable was only in Wyoming for seven days in 2024 and a month the following year, but she still applied for hunting licences.
She reportedly obtained permission to hunt animals such as black bears, elk, mountain lions, antelope and for fishing.
Strable previously insisted that this was 'not the case' and that she was 'here for way more than that'.
In court this week, the controversial content creator pleaded no contest to nonresident hunting without a guide in a wilderness area, The Herald Sun reported.
She was sentenced to 12 months of probation in Sublette County Circuit Court and ordered to pay a fine of $575.40 (£425). Strable was also sentenced to 180 days behind bars, but this was suspended.
Prosecutors dropped the other seven charges that Strable was facing, including taking an animal without a license or during a closed season and counts of fraud or false swearing.
Her lawyer, Nate Jeppsen reportedly told the court that his client was not 'intentionally trying to violate Wyoming game laws', but said she 'should have been aware' that she had to comply.
The Montana-based influencer was the subject of another scandal in 2025, where tens of thousands of people called for her to be deported from Australia.
Strable's antics in Australia
Last year, Strable uploaded distressing footage of her laughing as she grabbed a baby wombat from the side of the road while its mother frantically ran after her.
Anger erupted among politicians, animal rights campaigners and residents over the 'cruel' stunt, while PM Albanese issued a furious statement in response to the footage.
He fumed at the time: "[Wombats] are gentle, lovely creatures...I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she should try some other Australian animals, maybe she should try a crocodile.
"Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there. Take another animal that can actually fight back rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother."
Strable attempted to clarify what had happened in an online post she later deleted, where she claimed that the baby wombat was 'carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom'.
She said the wombats had 'wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed', adding: "I don't ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so."
The Wombat Protection Society described the video as 'appalling' and hit out at her for 'mishandling a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for social media likes'.
Wombats are a legally protected species in Australia and maintain a close bond with their parent even after emerging from it's mother's pouch.
In an apology issued on social media, Strable said: "This was not staged, nor was it done for entertainment. In my excitement and concern, I acted too quickly and then failed to provide necessary context to viewers online.
"Am I a villain? Things, dear reader, are not as they seem. Over holding a wombat, thousands threaten my life. Let me be clear; these same people ought to understand the reality of Australia today.
"For the readers that are so angered by my mistaken attempt to help and that I am a hunter - do not be blind to your country."
Olivia Burke