Sydney, Australia - A shocking video that emerged showing an American influencer stealing a baby wombat from its mother has triggered outrage from Australian authorities.

The video shows influencer Sam Jones walk up to a wombat and her baby, pick up the baby, and walk back to her car while a male voice laughs.

After presenting the wombat to the camera, Jones declares, "I caught a baby wombat," as the man jokes about its mother being in distress over her baby being taken.

Clearly frightened, the baby is squealing and squeaking, while its mother chases Jones down and then runs away in fear. Eventually, Jones puts the baby wombat down by the side of the road and it quickly flees.

Throughout the video, Jones is holding the wombat by its armpits in a way that could have potentially harmed the animal and was certainly very uncomfortable and frightening for it.

To make matters somehow even worse, Jones doesn't even bother putting the baby off the road, placing it at risk of getting hit and killed by a car.

"Look at the mother," the man can be heard saying in between laughs. "It's like – oh it's chasing after her... Nah he's alright."

Outrage has rightfully spread across Australia, going right to the heart of Canberra and triggering a response from heads of government.

"It looked pretty dreadful, didn't it?" said Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong after being asked about the video by Channel Seven.

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

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced that he was investigating Jones for having violated her visa by mishandling and potentially hurting the wombat in the vile video.

"I can't wait for Australia to see the back of this individual – I don't expect she will return," he said in a statement.

Some of the harshest words of criticism came from Australia's Prime Minister, Anthony Albonese, who slammed the influencer for being cruel and cowardly.

"To take a baby wombat from its mother, clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage," Albanese said in a fiery press conference.

"And, you know, I suggest to this so-called 'influencer' that maybe she should go and try a few other Australian animals. Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there," he said.

"Take another animal that can actually fight back rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother. See how you go there."