A fuss Down Under

US influencer kidnaps baby wombat: shitstorm

(Bild: (c) Martin Pelanek )

A US influencer has captured a baby wombat in Australia, sparking outrage on social media. According to Australian media, she is now facing consequences. According to Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, authorities are now investigating the US American's visa and whether she has breached immigration law.

The influencer had previously posted a video on Instagram, causing great outrage. The video shows her picking up a wombat cub at the side of the road and running towards the camera - followed by the mother wombat. A man can be heard laughing. "Look at the mother, she's after it," says the man.

"I caught a baby wombat," says the American woman, holding up the cub, which wriggles and hisses. At the end of the video, the influencer puts the animal back on the side of the road. The mother wombat can no longer be seen. The video has since been deleted, according to reports.

The influencer's video:

Prime Minister and animal rights activists appalled
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sharply criticized the influencer. "Snatching a baby wombat from its mother and causing distress to the mother is simply a scandal," the 7News channel quoted the Prime Minister as saying. Instead, he suggested the influencer try it with other animals in Australia. "Take a baby crocodile away from its mother and see how you get on with it. Take another animal that can actually defend itself," says Albanese.

Animal rights activists have also condemned the influencer's action, according to media reports. According to the non-profit organization World Animal Protection, the young animal could have been injured while being lifted and carried, as reported by the ABC channel. The video is "absolutely appalling".