A Wyoming-based social media influencer who set off international outrage after reportedly grabbing a baby wombat in Australia is firing back, stating that Australia’s government slaughters wombats by the thousands.
In a letter she sent to Cowboy State Daily, Samantha Strable — who sometimes goes by Sam Jones online — wrote that the anger directed toward her is hypocritical.
Wombats are basically treated as pests in Australia, she stated.
“The Australian government allows and permits the slaughter of wombats. Thousands each year are shot, poisoned to suffer, and trapped legally,” she wrote in the statement.
“Landowners rip up wombat burrows with heavy machinery, poison them with fumigation, and shoot them whenever they can. Quietly, of course, so as not to face the wrath that has come upon me,” Strable added.
Reportedly Left Australia
Australian media outlets were reporting Monday that Strable had left the country, possibly because of the backlash over the baby wombat video.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke last week stated that Strable’s visa to stay in that country was under review because of the wombat incident, according to media reports.
In response to Strable reportedly leaving the country, Australian media reported Burke as saying, “There’s never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia.”
‘Thousands Have Threatened My Life’
Grabbing the baby wombat and running with it, as depicted in the video, could have put the animal at serious risk, Wombat Support and Rescue founder and president Yolandi Vermaak said.
In a telephone interview with Cowboy State Daily last week, she said that even briefly handling a baby wombat could put it at risk of being rejected by its mother.
She added that the way the wombat is handled in the video could have injured it.
Strable is originally from Montana, but was living in Pinedale in 2023 when Cowboy State Daily interviewed her for a feature story about her outdoors and hunting adventures.
She was reportedly visiting Australia when the video of her grabbing the baby wombat was taken, setting off livid reactions among Australians, as well as animal welfare advocates around the world.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese publicly blasted Strable over the incident.
In a text message to Cowboy State Daily last week, Strable stated that she’d been getting death threats.
In her full statement, she reiterated that claim.
“Over holding a wombat, thousands threaten my life,” she stated.
‘Am I A Villain’
In her statement, Strable said that she’s been wrongfully portrayed as a villain, when Prime Minister Albanese and other Australians should reflect on how that country’s wildlife is treated.
She included links to Australian government reports on wildlife management, including one on the culling of feral deer.
Strable stated that wombats, kangaroos and other wildlife are frequently killed to protect agricultural interest.
“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. Then, decide for yourself if I, a person who certainly makes mistakes, am really your villain,” she stated.
Wondering About Baby Wombat’s Fate
Vermaak told Cowboy State Daily that she had reached out to Strable, seeking Strable’s help in pinpointing the location from which the video was taken, but that Strable hadn’t helped her.
Vermaak said it was urgent to check up on the baby wombat to make sure it was healthy and hadn’t been rejected by its mother.
In a follow-up email to Cowboy State Daily, Vermaak wrote that she felt sorry for the intense backlash that Strable is going through, and she just wants to ask her about the wombat’s possible location.
“My intention is not to cause her (Strable) any more stress but do think that this could be a way for her to redeem the situation, even if just a little bit. This baby needs urgent care and she is the only person who now can facilitate this,” Vermaak wrote.
In a text message Monday, Vermaak said that Strable “blames me for what is happening” and hadn’t provided any information about the wombats’ location.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
