Fury in Australia after US influencer Sam Jones hounds baby wombat

In a now-deleted video posted to Instagram this week, the woman can be seen picking up the hissing wild animal before declaring to the camera: “I caught a baby wombat.”

The woman – identified in Australian media as American outdoors influencer Sam Jones – then places the wombat back on the side of the road.

The video riled wildlife experts and animal lovers alike – and on Thursday, concern over it reached the top echelons of the Australian government.

“It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it?” Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong told Australia’s Channel Seven.

“I think everyone who would have seen that would have thought, look, leave the baby wombat alone.”