Influencer who stole baby wombat from its mother in distressing footage arrested
An American influencer who made headlines earlier this year for taking a baby wombat from its mother to put in front of a camera, has now been arrested.
Known as Sam Jones on social media, the content creator filmed the incident while overseas in Australia, promptly fleeing as officials called her out on the act.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was an 'outrage' as the shocking video caused shock amongst viewers, with the US-based influencer seen smiling as she picked the baby wombat up from the side of the road before running towards her vehicle, putting the animal in front of the camera.
The animal, clearly distressed, could be heard making hissing noises as it's mother desperately followed Jones, who said: "I caught a baby wombat!"
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Real name Samantha Strable, she noted that the mum was 'p***ed' as the joey kept trying to wriggle free.
The self-described 'wildlife biologist and environmental scientist' fled the country, with Aussie officials saying that she was no longer welcome back after the video circulated.
While she could be seen placing the baby by the side of the road, the viral clip resulted in an online petition being signed tens of thousands of times calling for her to be banned from Australia for good.
In a response posted back in March, Strable said that she was not a 'villain', before criticising local officials who condemned her actions, as she claimed she was worried that the baby wombat was sick or injured.
"While I was unbelievably excited to see such an amazing animal, I looked it over quickly and immediately returned it to its mother," she said, claiming that the Aussie government 'allows and permits the slaughter of wombats', despite the species being legally protected.
Over eight months on from the incident, Strable has seemingly deleted her account despite having over 100,000 followers, though news from the US has now broke that she has recently been arrested.
The influencer allegedly violated hunting laws in the state of Wyoming.
Strable, 25, was put behind bars at Sublette County Jail on Friday 21 November, after she claimed that she was a resident of the state in order to get hunting tags or permits, state court documents.
But while she claimed to be a resident of Wyoming, the influencer was found to be a resident of Great Falls, Montana, despite claims that she lived in Pinedale.
However, as she hadn't been in Wyoming for an extended period of time, Wyoming Game and Fish Warden Jacob Miller revealed that her resident hunter status was revoked.
The state law details that someone must live in Wyoming for a full calendar year before applying for residential hunting licenses, with this status being taken away if you're out of state for over 180 days or if you abandon your home.
Apparently, Miller was given a tip back on 11 August, claiming that Strable was continuing to buy resident tags even though she hadn't lived in the state for more than two years.
Officials found that she had started buying a hunting license in 2022 under her Pinedale address, with a man currently living there.
Miller spoke to the unnamed man, who said that Strabble lived with him in 2022 and most of 2023 before heading to Australia at the end of the year.
Strable was confirmed to be in Montana and North Dakota from 30 April 2024 to 28 June 2025, with plans to move to Alaska.
She applied for a resident antelope hunting tag on 1 May 2024, killing a buck that autumn.
In response to the claims, Strable said: "I figured I had to be a resident of somewhere,
"And most days a year I’m anywhere is [sic] Wyoming."
Killing animals on Wyoming land without a permit is illegal and Strable now faces the following: 'six counts of false swearing, one count of taking wildlife without a license and one count of nonresident hunting',
She could face up to a year in jail and a $5,000 - $10,000 fine for every count she has been accused of, possibly spending months in prison for hunting without a license or for hunting without a guide.
Joshua Nair