Montana Woman’s Wombat Grab Sparks International Backlash

Well, folks, it’s not every day a Montanan makes international headlines, but here we are. Samantha Strable, an outdoor influencer originally from Great Falls, put Montana’s name on a blacklist for Australians after she threw caution to the wind and picked up a baby wombat the way some over weight people pick up free samples at Costco.

A Wildlife “Rescue” Nobody Wanted

Imagine this: You’re driving along in the Australian countryside, minding your own business, when you spot a baby wombat. What do you do? If you’re a normal person, you drive on and leave the little guy be. But if you’re Samantha Strable, you pick it up, strike a pose for social media, and somehow manage to anger an entire country.

Strable said she was “saving” the animal, but wildlife experts quickly noted that she probably had separated it from its mother, causing it an unnecessary degree of stress. Australians weren’t nearly as impressed as she had hoped.

Australia Claps Back

When the video began circulating online, Australia’s government stepped in. But Immigration Minister Tony Burke hinted that Strable’s future travel itinerary may not include a longer stay in the Outback, while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asked whether she wanted to “wrestle a baby crocodile” next time.

From PETA to Predator

That’s where it gets weirder still. Before she became a hunting fan, Strable once interviewed for a job at PETA. And when they didn’t hire her, she sued them. So, one way or another, she went from volunteering for an animal rights organization to stealing baby wombats from the highway. Quite the career trajectory.

A Lesson in What Not to Do

Practice what we preach. We always give tourists a hard time for trying to pet the "fluffy cows" in Yellowstone Park. Whether you’re in Montana or the Australian Outback, maybe it’s best just to leave the animals alone.