Yes, it’s a terrible idea to pick up or interfere with wild animals – especially baby wombats. Here’s why

By Julie Old, Associate Professor in Biology, Zoology and Animal Science, Western Sydney University
Dale Nimmo, Professor in Ecology, Charles Sturt University
Hayley Stannard, Senior Lecturer in Animal Anatomy and Physiology, Charles Sturt University
Robert Davis, Associate Professor in Wildlife Conservation, Edith Cowan University

It was hard to watch. In a now-deleted Instagram reel, American influencer Sam Jones is filmed picking up a young wombat, separating it from its mother, and running with it back to the car for a pose. In the background, the distressed mother tries to follow. At one point, Jones says: “Momma’s right there and she’s pissed. Let’s let him go.”

We have spent our careers working with wildlife. Seeing a joey separated from her mother for social media content was unsettling.…

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