An American tourist who sparked outrage in Australia after picking up a baby wombat and separating it from its mother has now learned her fate in a US court.
Samantha Strable, also known online as Sam Jones, was sentenced in Wyoming on August 27 after pleading guilty to hunting without a guide.
Her punishment is unrelated to the wombat controversy, which saw furious Australians accuse her of disturbing the young animal for a video.
Highlights
- Samantha Strable was sentenced in Wyoming for hunting without a guide.
- She previously sparked outrage in Australia after a viral video showed her picking up a baby wombat while its mother chased after her.
- Wildlife experts condemned the incident, while Strable insisted she was trying to help the joey.
Samantha Strable has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a Wyoming hunting offense
Strable appeared by video in Sublette County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to hunting without a guide, according to Herald Sun.
She received a suspended 180-day jail sentence, meaning she will not serve that time behind bars as long as she follows the court’s conditions.
The 26-year-old was also given 12 months of probation and ordered to pay about AU$800 in fines and court costs.
Her lawyer, Nate Jeppsen, argued that Strabel had not intentionally tried to break Wyoming’s hunting laws. However, he acknowledged that she "should have been aware" of the state's rules.
Prosecutors dropped seven other charges in the case. Those included allegations involving hunting without a license, hunting during a closed season, and several fraud or false-swearing counts connected to her claimed place of residence.
The Wyoming case was not related to the baby wombat incident in Australia.
Strable became widely known in Australia after a video of her handling a baby wombat went viral
In a now-deleted Instagram video posted in March 2025, Strable was seen approaching a baby wombat on a roadside at night and picking it up. She then ran across the road while holding the animal, as reported by Bored Panda.
The baby wombat was visibly distressed, while its mother followed after them.
A man filming the scene could be heard laughing and pointing out that the mother was chasing Strable.
Strable had captioned the video saying it was her “dream” to hold a wombat.
The footage quickly spread online, with many Australians accusing her of taking the animal from its mother for a photo and video.
After her video went viral, wildlife experts revealed the baby wombat was in distress
Dr Tania Bishop, a veterinarian with Australia’s WIRES wildlife rescue organization, told news.com.au the joey appeared to be around eight months old and still depended heavily on its mother.
She also warned that the way Strable carried the animal could have caused an injury because the wombat was not properly supported while she was running with it.
The joey’s hissing and crying were also signs of extreme distress, according to Bishop.
“This is just an extremely unacceptable way to treat our wildlife, which is already under incredible pressure right now,” Bishop expressed.
Another wildlife rescuer, Yolandi Vermaak, explained to Yahoo News why separating a young wombat from its mother can be dangerous.
"Nine out of ten times, the mother will not come back for her baby if they’re separated," she said, according to the information provided.
“You can see the baby is disoriented, and didn’t know where to go,” Vermaak explained.
That made the footage even more upsetting to viewers.
Strable strongly defended herself, explaining that she was trying to help the animal
Strable said she had initially found the mother and joey on the road and was worried that the baby might have been injured or hit by a car.
“I was concerned it may have been sick or injured, and made a snap judgment to pick up the joey and see if this was the case. I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me,” she explained.
She later acknowledged that she had not handled the situation properly and said she had learned from it.
"I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused," she wrote.
Strable also insisted that the animal was returned to its mother and was not harmed.
Strable’s video triggered a huge backlash, as several people called her “entitled”
One person wrote, “It’s not just the entitlement, it’s the disrespect.”
Another described the scene as “revolting”, saying the mother chasing after her baby and the joey crying should never have been treated as something funny.
Others called for Strable to be deported or prevented from returning to Australia.
A petition demanding that she be banned from the country received more than 30,000 signatures.
The controversy also drew attention from Australian politicians.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese personally criticized Strable and suggested she try taking an animal that could fight back.
“I would suggest to this so-called influencer – maybe she might try some other Australian animals – take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there,” Albanese said.
He added, “Take another animal that can actually fight back rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother.”
The backlash eventually became so large that Strable left Australia
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said officials were looking into the conditions of her visa and whether any immigration laws had been broken.
He also suggested that the level of attention surrounding the incident could make it difficult for her to return.
“There’s never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia,” a spokesman for Burke said at the time.
However, the controversy did not end when Strable left.
Former friends and people who knew her publicly questioned her response to the criticism, while screenshots of angry messages allegedly sent by Strable to a former friend also circulated online.
Apparently, Strable had described herself as a hunting influencer and wildlife biologist. Her social media accounts included photos and videos involving animals she said she had hunted.
Her background was clarified after a former employer publicly alleged that Strable was no longer working for the company when the wombat video was recorded.
A company spokesman said Strable was “NOT employed by Bowman as an Environmental Scientist or in any other capacity”. He added that the company did not support the behavior shown in the video.
“As wildlife conservationists ourselves, we are dedicated to preserving wildlife and their habitats,” the company said.
"Good enough for her," wrote one user
