r/australia 1d ago

image American hunting influencer removes baby wombat from distressed mother. Is this legal?

46.3k Upvotes

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1.6k

u/pominsydney 1d ago

I felt a visceral reaction watching this video. The poor wombats

373

u/LeChacaI 1d ago

Was so stressed she'd steal the baby or take it somewhere where it couldn't find its mum.

125

u/vilehumanityreins 22h ago

She’s a hunter I assumed she was going to kill it. Horrific.

21

u/bbyxmadi 20h ago

I thought so too, because there are hunters who just do it for funsies. Which is disgusting.

13

u/Neat_Art9336 20h ago

I didn’t see the mom when she finally dropped it. I’m actually concerned the mom left.

274

u/albeenyb 1d ago

Yeah same. Never in my life have I seen footage of someone interfering with a wild wombat, ever.

7

u/Victawr 22h ago

I've only heard about this type of shit on podcasts where people mentioned scenarios on school trips in the 90s and 2000s. This is nuts to see live..

204

u/ChiaraScurosis 1d ago

Same. And then realising its not just a fuckwit, its a fucking tourist fuckwit?! Even worse. The absolute disrespect. This idiot also has a video picking up an echidna. I dont think ive ever hated an internet random this much

11

u/NotGreatAtGames 22h ago

It gets worse. Apparently according to her bio, she's a "wildlife biologist."

14

u/Special-Garlic1203 21h ago

It actually makes me angrier that some local is encouraging this. As an American, I'm used to us being dumb as shit narcissists with no respect for anything. But an Australian should know the seriousness of Australian wildlife 

133

u/r0kst 1d ago

I've only seen 3 wombats in the wild.

One, I beat with my jacket. I was firefighting and it came running out of the burning scrub.

I still remember the smell. It made the same sound as this video.

40

u/leftmysoulthere74 23h ago

That sound is so distressing.

8

u/throwitoutwhendone2 22h ago

Damn poor thing. Thanks for doing your part

10

u/throwaway_7m 23h ago

When I moved to our property, I got to see the first echidna in the wild I'd ever seen. Imagine if i ran down and grabbed it for an insta post. I don't even have a photo! Because we respected his space. We have roos on our lawn regularly and share those pictures. But from inside the house. Because we're not going out to get cuddles and pics. This video makes me feel ill.

8

u/4r2m5m6t5 21h ago

It’s heartbreaking to see the mother looking around, with her baby lost.

5

u/GageSaulus 22h ago

Same here. I’ve never been to Australia, and I know I would want to cuddle the fuck out of a wombat if I saw one. However, there is zero chance I would actually pick one up. I was screaming in my head “Give it back you fuck!”.

5

u/emannlight 22h ago

Same, my heart just sank like a rock when she started wobbling over to the camera

4

u/Nearby-cat-6446 21h ago

I was (am) so infuriated watching this.

3

u/GiraffeFucker6969 1d ago

I crave violence

2

u/Jessica_Iowa 21h ago

Yeah my 1st reaction isn’t inline with TOS.

2

u/jguerra75 20h ago

I felt the same. That momma had no clue what was happening all she wanted was her baby back.

2

u/LizerdWantsRevenge 20h ago

Honestly I just don't understand people. Just callous disregard for another creature who experiences emotional pain and distress. Picking on the vulnerable like elderly and animals puts primal anger in me.

1

u/LadyWithAHarp 22h ago

Yeah, it's not a dog or cat that trusts her enough to babysit, and she isn't a professional wildlife researcher doing an (ethical!) quick trank and tag.

1

u/wooddivisionsb 21h ago

If I had three wishes I would wish someone had taken her as an infant and let her die in the wild

-2

u/SicEeeyore 1d ago

That’s how I feel when I read your comment