US influencer Sam Jones doubles down on hypocrisy claims after copping backlash over wombat incident

An American influencer has clapped back at the Australian public — and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese — after she was slammed for picking up a baby wombat and sharing video of the incident on social media.

Samantha Strable, who goes by Sam Jones online, has called out the nation for its hypocrisy, doubling down on claims that she’s being scapegoated for “clickbait” and pointing to Australia’s culling laws and the legal destruction of habitat for profit.

As a hunter in her home country, Strable said she’s not against the legal culling of native animals in Australia, but is instead “against the hypocrisy”.

“Thousands of wombats are LEGALLY killed across Australia each year. That does NOT make my actions right, but you deserve to know,” she said on an Instagram story.

Following her comments, Wild Animals Australia took to social media on Sunday, saying: “Are we ready to fight against the ‘culling’ of wombats now?”

So, what should Australians really know about the culling?

Permitted wombat culling is legal

When footage of the squealing young animal and its visibly distressed mother went viral, Albanese called it “an outrage”, netizens called for the influencer’s deportation, and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he couldn’t “wait for Australia to see the back of this individual.”

But the influencer claims that distress of a single wombat does not compare to the thousands of wombats that the Australian Government permits to be killed by landowners each year in Australia.

“I don’t deserve this attention, bigger issues do,” she wrote on Instagram on Monday.

Native animals are protected in Australia, and for most Australians, harming them is illegal — but with the right permit, killing is allowed, according to the government.

In fact, the government gave the greenlight for 3558 wombats to be killed in 2023 alone, according to permit data published in a 2024 report by the Humane Society International Australia.

It said the data “reveals the number of native animals that private landholders were licensed to kill across Australia. The total number of native animals that private landholders have killed around Australia is not known and could be much higher”.

Permit-holders who are allowed to kill wombats are required to follow a number of standards, “to minimise unnecessary pain or distress”, according to the Code Of Practice For The Humane Destruction Of Wombats By Shooting.

These standards include shooting the animal square in the head and, if a mother and baby wombat are together, killing the baby in front of its mother, rather than the other way around, in case the baby escapes and cannot care for itself in the wild.

Depending on the developmental stage of any wombat joeys to be killed, the Code Of Practice also allows “decapitation” and “a blow to the head” with a blunt instrument like a hammer.

Animals face culling for ‘sensitive ecosystems’

“How about the beloved Kangaroo, the National animal on your coat of arms?” Strable asked in her post.

“Millions are legally killed each year. Are they not deserved of government protection as native species?” she continued.

“If you don’t believe me, take a look around the next time you go to Woolworth’s where you will see kangaroo flesh sold as both pet and human food.”

Data from the Humane Society International reveals that Australian landholders were authorised to kill about 1,222,507 animals in 2023 and about 2,355,208 in 2022.

While apologising for her “mistake”, Strable criticised the Australian public for targeting a “dumb influencer” and pretending that native animals are free from harm in Australia.

In response, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) said Australia’s approach to commercial kangaroo harvesting is science-based, sustainable, and humane.

“Commercial harvesting of kangaroos and wallabies occurs under state management plans, in accordance with the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes and informed by population monitoring,” a spokesperson for the DCCEEW told 7NEWS.com.au.

“State and territory governments have primary responsibility for managing kangaroos and wallabies, including animal welfare.”

Kangaroo harvest quotas are published on the department’s website, with the numbers of kangaroos harvested also available on state and territory government websites.

The DCCEEW also explained that the culling of other animals is necessary to protect Australia’s “sensitive ecosystems”.

“Invasive animals like feral horses, deer and pigs, have catastrophic impacts on native plants, animals and sensitive ecosystems in Australia,” the spokesperson said.

“Management of these species is critical to reduce their impacts.”

The department said aerial shooting is part of a range of management activities, carried out by skilled professional operators who adhere to strict codes of practice to ensure the process is as humane as possible.

Influencer’s plea

At the end of her lengthy statement, Strable called for Australians to reconsider before labelling her a “villain.”

“While the prime minister wishes harm on me for picking up a wombat, I implore you to take a good, hard, look at what is currently being done in Australia surrounding the real issues it faces, the lack of power for tens of thousands of Aussies, and the treatment of its native wildlife,” Strable said.

Anthony Albanese condemned Strable’s actions last Thursday, suggesting she “try some other Australian animals.”

“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 wombat from its mother. See how you go there,” Albanese said.

Strable left Australia on Friday, following intense backlash.

In response to her departure, Tony Burke said: “There’s never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia.”

Strable took to social media to share her responses after returning home.