Sam Jones: US influencer who snatched baby wombat from its mother leaves Australia amid fears for animal's health
Sam Jones, who describes herself as an "outdoor enthusiast and hunter", left the country on Friday after the Australian government said it was reviewing her visa.
In a now-deleted video to her 92,000 followers on Instagram, recorded at an unknown location, Jones says: "I caught a baby wombat" as a man filming her laughs.
She returns the animal to the roadside after several seconds.
Now, there are concerns the baby wombat may have been left to fend for itself - and an animal welfare expert has warned it has a potentially fatal skin disease.
Yolandi Vermaak, founder of animal care charity Wombat Rescue, said separating the youngster from its mother created a risk the parent would reject her offspring.
"My biggest concern is that we didn't actually see mum and baby getting reunited," Ms Vermaak said.
"When she put it down, it looked disorientated. It was turned away from where the mother was last seen. So we don't know if mum and baby actually found each other again."
Ms Vermaak said Ms Jones should say where she left the wombat after the video showed the joey had a skin disease.
"The baby has mange and it's a matter of time before it dies of mange, so it's important for us to find where this happened and to get this baby and its mum treated as soon as possible," Ms Vermaak said.
Ms Jones's actions drew fierce criticism from politicians. Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said she had clearly caused "distress" in the marsupial's mother and described her behaviour as "just an outrage".
Home affairs minister Tony Burke, speaking after a government official confirmed Ms Jones had left the country voluntarily, said: "There's never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia."
Previously, he said he could not wait for "Australia to see the back of this individual".
The wombat appears to be a common wombat, also known as a bare-nosed wombat. It is found only in Australia and is a protected marsupial.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Jess Glynne slams White House after Jet2 deportation video
The short clip from President Donald Trump's White House showed immigrants being pushed onto planes and deported from the United States of America. Gaining millions of views, the caption to the video reads: "When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. Nothing beats it!" The video used Jess Glynne's Hold My Hand song, made even more famous through its use on Jet2 adverts, and now the singer has hit back. why you so quiet? what's on your mind? In an Instagram story, the singer said: "This post honestly makes me sick. My music is about love, unity and spreading positivity – never about division or hate." Other users on X also slammed the video, which has received thousands of responses. One X user wrote: "This is gross", as another said: "Disgusting video, those are human, and you all animals." A third said: "This is horrible. This country is horrible." While a fourth wrote: "That's actually really sad and inhumane to make fun of them like that!" When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. ✈️🎶 Nothing beats it! Trump came into office in January 2025, where he shared promises of starting the largest deportation in the US's history. In June, ICE ( Immigration and Customs Enforcement) deported more than 15,000 people with aims for 3,000 arrests a day, according to the Metro. Trump has also cancelled temporary legal status for millions of immigrants, meaning they are at risk of deportation. Jet2 and The White House have been contacted for a comment. The Jet2 sound uses which Jess Glynn used in adverts for the brand and has recently become a viral TikTok sound. It is voiced by actress Zoe Lister, best known for portraying the role of Zoe Carpenter in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. A post shared by Capital (@capitalofficial) Now, her voice is recognisable across the country, with "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday!" becoming a viral audio clip. Recommended reading: UK-US trade deal: What was agreed as Trump slashes tariffs? Everything to know ahead of Donald Trump's UK state visit UK-US trade deal will save jobs in car and steel industries, says Keir Starmer It has been used in thousands of videos on TikTok, typically by funny holiday fails and mishaps. Lister has also hit back at the use of the audio by the White House. On Instagram, she said: "What can be done about @whitehouse using @jet2pics sound and my voiceover to promote their nasty agenda?"
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Jess Glynne slams White House after Jet2 deportation video
The short clip from President Donald Trump's White House showed immigrants being pushed onto planes and deported from the United States of America. Gaining millions of views, the caption to the video reads: "When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. Nothing beats it!" The video used Jess Glynne's Hold My Hand song, made even more famous through its use on Jet2 adverts, and now the singer has hit back. why you so quiet? what's on your mind? — X (@X) July 24, 2025 Jess Glynne slams White House after Jet2 deportation video In an Instagram story, the singer said: "This post honestly makes me sick. My music is about love, unity and spreading positivity – never about division or hate." Other users on X also slammed the video, which has received thousands of responses. One X user wrote: "This is gross", as another said: "Disgusting video, those are human, and you all animals." A third said: "This is horrible. This country is horrible." While a fourth wrote: "That's actually really sad and inhumane to make fun of them like that!" When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. ✈️🎶 Nothing beats it! — The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 29, 2025 Trump came into office in January 2025, where he shared promises of starting the largest deportation in the US's history. In June, ICE ( Immigration and Customs Enforcement) deported more than 15,000 people with aims for 3,000 arrests a day, according to the Metro. Trump has also cancelled temporary legal status for millions of immigrants, meaning they are at risk of deportation. Jet2 and The White House have been contacted for a comment. Who voices the viral Jet2 advert? The Jet2 sound uses which Jess Glynn used in adverts for the brand and has recently become a viral TikTok sound. It is voiced by actress Zoe Lister, best known for portraying the role of Zoe Carpenter in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. Now, her voice is recognisable across the country, with "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday!" becoming a viral audio clip. Recommended reading: It has been used in thousands of videos on TikTok, typically by funny holiday fails and mishaps. Lister has also hit back at the use of the audio by the White House. On Instagram, she said: "What can be done about @whitehouse using @jet2pics sound and my voiceover to promote their nasty agenda?"
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
White House branded 'disgusting' for using Jet2 holiday sound in ICE video
A mocking video shows shackled migrants taken by ICE officials onto a deportation plane in the United States while a Jet2 holiday advert is used as a voiceover A Jet2 voiceover for a holiday advert has been used by the White House to mock migrants being deported from the United States. Footage was shown of handcuffed people being taken by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials onto a GlobalX flight - an airline provider used by the American authorities. And along with a familiar jig for British viewers of a Jet2 advert, the post is captioned: 'When ICE books you a one-way Jet2 holiday to deportation. Nothing beats it!' It was immediately blasted as 'disgusting' by social media users and is just the latest provocative social media post by the Trump administration. The video showed migrants in shackles making their way onto deportation flights and while the faces of the ICE agents were blurred out, those of the immigrants, many of whom looked dejectedly at the ground, were clear. The cameraperson even worked to get their faces in the shots. It comes after Donald Trump was seen with a mystery mark in Scotland after his chronic health diagnosis. READ MORE Donald Trump was seen with a mystery mark in Scotland after his chronic health diagnosis "Our country is an embarrassment posting s*** like this," one social media user wrote. "There is no bigger a****** on this site than this account," another added. 'Further proof that the world ended and we're just living in a simulation. The ACTUAL White House account hopping on the Jet2 trend to poke fun at deportees is mind blowing,' read a further comment. And another followed: 'The White House make me sick using the Jet2 sound for an ICE deportation video. How can any decent human being support this?' One person simply wrote, "Disgusting," while another agreed: "You'd have to be a complete moron to find this acceptable on an official WH account. Just another reason why MAGA isn't credible." Another appeared to support President Donald Trump's efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, but they slammed the way he promoted his policies. "This is shameful," that user wrote. "Enforce the law, don't flaunt misery in our faces like it is some accomplishment. Have some respect and human decency ffs." Trump recently signed into law his flagship "big, beautiful bill," which includes a provision that sets aside $170 billion for border and immigration enforcement - including $45 billion (£33.9 billion) for detention. The number of illegal border crossings into the US has plunged, however. ICE is expected to see its budget grow by $76.5 billion (£57.6 billion) over the next five years, which is nearly 10 times its current annual budget. Trump vowed to deport millions of immigrants living in the US illegally, but his efforts have been slower than he seems to want. The Jet2 holiday advert is from 2022 and it features Jess Glynne's 2015 single, Hold My Hand, as well as a voice-over by actress Zoe Lister. "Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday!" she cheerily says in the clip before going on to detail the benefits of the particular package the clip is advertising. And Jess Glynne herself was quick to blast the latest use of her song on Instagram: 'This post honestly makes me sick. My music is about love, unity, and spreading positivity - never about division or hate." While Zoe Lister asked her followers on her story, 'What can be done about the White House using Jet2's sound and my voiceover to promote their nasty agenda?'
