Samantha Strable, the influencer who sparked international backlash after filming herself grabbing a baby wombat from its mother in Australia, has been sentenced following a completely separate legal case in the United States.
What she was sentenced for
Strable, 26, faced eight charges in Wyoming after being accused of continuing to buy resident hunting tags despite not having lived in the state for more than two years. Under Wyoming law, hunters must live in the state for a full calendar year to qualify for resident hunting licences, and lose that status if they're out of state for more than 180 days. Investigators found Strable had spent only a matter of days in Wyoming across 2024 and 2025, despite applying for licences to hunt animals including black bears, elk, mountain lions, and antelope.
She pleaded no contest to nonresident hunting without a guide in a wilderness area. She was sentenced to 12 months of probation and fined $575.40, along with a 180-day jail term that was suspended. The seven other charges against her, including fraud and hunting without a licence, were dropped as part of the case.
The wombat incident that made her infamous
Strable first drew global attention after uploading footage of herself picking up a baby wombat by the roadside in Australia while its mother tried to follow. The footage prompted a public rebuke from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who criticised her actions and suggested she try handling animals capable of defending themselves instead.
Strable later said the encounter lasted only briefly and that the wombat was returned to its mother unharmed, though animal welfare groups condemned the incident regardless, given wombats are a legally protected species in Australia.
