Stop Treating Wildlife as a Prop! Influencer Faces Backlash After Snatching Baby Wombat for Content
Hey, everyone: It’s time to cancel wildlife-exploiting content. After an American influencer posted a video of herself snatching a baby wombat from their mother, a wave of online backlash ensued.
In the video, the woman grabs the baby and runs away as the animal’s mother chases after it, apparently panicked and distressed. The man who was apparently filming the video laughs and sneers, “Look at the mother. (She’s) chasing after (them)!”
The woman continues to display the terrified baby wombat—who desperately struggles and attempts to escape—and says, “I caught a baby wombat.” She continues, “(Their) mom is right there … and she’s pissed.”
Animals Are Not Your Content
Wombat mothers are deeply nurturing and protective of their young. They keep their babies (joeys) in their pouches for 4-10 months after birth, and the joeys remain with their mothers for at least a year, learning how to survive in their natural habitats. Some wombat species are social and live in complex burrow groups of up to 15 individuals, while others prefer to be solitary.
Wombats are highly sensitive animals who do not want to interact with humans—wombat species who are social stick in tight-knit groups consisting of their family members and other loved ones. Grabbing them or forcing them into unnatural interactions with humans for video content—or for any reason—is extremely cruel.
Public interactions with wildlife are dangerous to both humans and other animals. Humans can accidentally injure or kill animals by forcefully handling them. Additionally, there’s a risk of spreading potentially deadly zoonotic diseases, such as rabies.
ALL Mothers Want to Nurture Their Babies
If the video of an influencer separating a wombat from their mother disturbs you, remember that all mothers experience anguish when humans tear them from their children—including mother cows and other animals on farms. In the dairy industry, workers repeatedly take newborn calves from their mothers, who often cry out for days in despair. The best way you can speak out against this cruelty is by going vegan.
How YOU Can Make a Difference
Our fellow animals are individuals with feelings, relationships, and unique personalities—they are not props for content. Leave wildlife in peace, and if you see an influencer engaging with wildlife for content, please report it.
Additionally, never patronize any facility—such as a roadside zoo or marine park—that profits from exploiting live animals. Learn more about how to be a kind tourist and how to live in harmony with wildlife:
