The recent controversy surrounding an American influencer who posted footage of herself capturing a baby wombat in Australia on social media has sparked widespread criticism from animal welfare groups and Australian citizens. In response, Minister for Immigration and Cultural Affairs Tony Burke announced that the government is considering revoking her visa. However, while the public outrage has largely focused on the influencer, this incident highlights a deeper issue: the role of social media in fueling harmful wildlife interactions and the need for stricter wildlife protection policies.
The influencer, Sam Jones, who describes herself as a "wildlife biologist and environmental scientist," posted a now-deleted video showing her taking a baby wombat from its mother on a dark Australian road. In the footage, Jones is seen laughing and carrying the distressed marsupial as its mother chases after her. This act caused significant stress to the animals and violated Australian wildlife protection laws.
The Broader Impact on Wildlife Welfare
The Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition (SMACC) is a global initiative dedicated to addressing the exploitation of animals on digital platforms. For years, we have worked to expose harmful trends, push for stronger platform policies, and advocate for ethical wildlife representation online.
Capturing and handling wild animals, even briefly, can cause immense stress and disrupt their natural behavior. The recent case of a baby wombat in Australia being handled for social media engagement is a prime example of how social media platforms enable harmful wildlife interactions. Wombats, for instance, are nocturnal and solitary creatures, and human interference can have lasting negative effects on their well-being.
Wombats are nocturnal wild animals that easily experience stress and injury when handled by humans. Grabbing this joey and separating it from its mother not only caused physical harm but also psychological trauma and potential long-term behavioral impacts. This is yet another example of how the demand for viral content fuels animal suffering. From slow lorises in Thailand to baby monkeys in Indonesia, we've seen this happen repeatedly. Social media platforms must take responsibility
Amanda Faradifa (Veterinarian | Coordinator for the Social Media Animal Cruelty Coalition and Macaque Coalition)
Shifting the Focus
Instead of solely blaming individual influencers, we must hold social media platforms accountable for allowing wildlife exploitation to thrive. As SMACC, we actively push platforms to take responsibility while collaborating with them to enhance policies and enforcement mechanisms that prevent animal cruelty content from spreading on their sites.
This incident is not isolated but part of a broader pattern of wildlife exploitation we have documented across various platforms. From the viral slow loris "tickling" videos in Thailand and Indonesia to influencers showcasing exotic animals for engagement, social media continues to profit from animal cruelty while failing to enforce its guidelines.
To promote responsible wildlife content creation, content creators can refer to resources like the "Wildlife Selfie Code" by World Animal Protection, which provides practical guidelines for ethical wildlife photography and videography. This code emphasizes observing animals from a distance, avoiding handling or disturbing wild animals, supporting organizations that promote ethical wildlife experiences, and reporting harmful content that exploits animals for social media engagement.
SMACC's Five Steps to Combat Animal Cruelty on Social Media
If you are a follower or know an influencer who engages in animal abuse for profit, be aware and follow the SMACC 5 Steps:
Be aware: Educate yourself on animal welfare issues and how to spot problematic content. SMACC’s “Ask Yourself!” videos provide helpful tips on identifying cruelty without graphic content.
Do not watch: Avoid viewing animal cruelty videos, as each view increases the content's reach.
Do not engage: Refrain from commenting or reacting, as any interaction boosts the content's visibility.
Do not share: Sharing content, even to express outrage, amplifies the problem.
Report it: Use the reporting functions on social media platforms to flag animal cruelty. Your report is part of a collective effort to remove harmful content.
Visit the SMACC - Public Advice to learn more and submit online cruelty reports.
By following these steps, individuals can play an active role in helping reduce the spread of online animal cruelty and support the broader efforts to protect animals across digital platforms.
The wombat incident serves as a wake-up call for governments and conservation organizations to strengthen wildlife protection laws and work with social media platforms to prevent future exploitation. Influencers and content creators should be educated on ethical wildlife practices, while stricter enforcement mechanisms are put in place to hold violators accountable.
Rather than focusing on punitive measures against individual influencers, we must address the root cause: the social media ecosystem that incentivizes exploitative content. By working together, with policymakers, conservationists, and social media platforms, and being responsible as social media users, we can protect wildlife and promote ethical conservation practices in the digital age.
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