Month: March 2025

Trump has been in office for less than two months, but we’ve already seen a plethora of changes made by the 78-year-old that will have an effect on the US and the rest of the world.

He’s had a very public argument with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and called out the Irish Prime Minister for ‘taking advantage’ of the US in the past couple of weeks, among his many policy changes.

But now, the President’s seemingly positive relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has been put under the microscope by a body language expert, who has gone over footage from one of the pair’s past meetings.

Trump has been trying to achieve peace through talks with both Putin and Zelenskyy over their nations’ ongoing conflict, and though Russia first rejected ideas for a ceasefire, Putin has since announced that he ‘absolutely supports’ the idea for one as long as certain conditions are met.

Now, body language expert Judi James spoke to The Mirror after watching Trump’s and Putin’s meeting in Helsinki, Finland, back in 2018.

She described their relationship was ‘complex’ and said that body language ‘can often appear performative’.

“Both men prefer the alpha leadership style, with displays of physical strength passing for political power and status,” she pointed out.

Focusing on Trump, she highlighted that he likes to ‘present himself as cool, sometimes icy’ with the Russian President.

“But when the two men do dig into their meetings the body language can suggest Trump’s desire to discover and display bonds between them and to use vocabulary that sounds intended to imply shared objectives and like-minded decision-making,” she explained.

James went on: “Both also display a capacity for a matching sense of humour that is often apparent in their cues and tie-signs. Humour can feel like the greatest form of bonding glue.

“It is another form of power signalling and Trump and Putin will often throw out hints that suggest their relationship has an unserious facet to it behind the scenes. They discuss sports before politics here as proof of a deeper understanding and rapport.”

However, she summed Trump’s ‘attribution’ face as one showing ‘stubborn firmness’ and ‘superior power’, comparing him to a boxer flexing before a bout.

She added that the US President gave nothing away in front of cameras, even having a ‘grim poker face’.

Apparently, Trump did some ‘power-flexes’ and disregarded Putin’s smile to establish ‘spatial control’.

“His gesture to Putin to sit is an ill-mannered and offhand-looking afterthought and he sits in his classic alpha pose with his hands in a downward power steeple. Once the initial status balance has been established though, Trump becomes instantly more friendly and amicable,” James pointed out.

While Trump gave off a ‘mouth-shrug smile’, Putin didn’t feel the need to show any ice-breaking facial expressions, according to the expert.

In fact, Putin came across ‘relaxed and slightly amused.

James even claimed that the ex-KGB operative studied Trump’s body language, preparing for it and coming across as firm, to the point of being prepared for the US leader’s ‘shake and yank’ handshake.

She concluded: “Overall then, Trump has previously shown a tendency with Putin to be grim-faced and cool to establish some power points at the start and then leak out signals of rapport.

“But Putin can also play a forensic body language game too and his skills always appear to be the more finely-honed and nuanced.”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past few weeks, you’ve probably seen the viral video which appears to show 18-year-old Alaila Everett striking her opponent Kaelen Tucker with the baton during a race at the Virginia State High School League Championships at Virginia’s Liberty University on 4 March.

The video shows Alaila striking Kaelen, leaving her with a potential skull fracture, before overtaking her and finishing the race.

Kaelen shared her side of the story in a recent interview with 10 News, stating: “When you go to the other side of the track, you have to cross into lane one, you have to merge in. As I was coming up on her, she kind of like made me get cut off a little bit, so I backed away.”

“Then, as we got around the curve, she kept bumping me in my arm. Then finally we got off the curve, I like slowly started passing her and then that’s when she just hit me with the baton and I fell off the track.”

Pretty much all the angles of the race have been studied, and frankly, they don’t look particularly good on Alaila, but she suggested in a tearful interview that it was a complete accident and that she would never intentionally harm an opponent.

The youngster was charged with battery and assault earlier this week after court papers were served, but both she and her parents maintain that it was purely accidental, and insist that ‘the truth will be exposed’.

Posting on social media, Alaila’s father Genoa said: “We will continue to uplift and support our child to the upmost. We as a community will continue to fight for her.

“The truth will be exposed in due time and god’s timing is always perfect. Unity for Alaila.”

Speaking to ABC, the parents added: “It hurts because, man, y’all really picked the wrong child to criminalize like that.

“That’s nowhere near her nature. How would you feel waking up and seeing Gayle King or Good Morning, America talk about you or your daughter and not having the full story?

“You can clearly see in the video they were close,” Genoa said. “So what had happened was it was an illegal cut to my daughter’s lane, which caused the incidental contact.”

Her mum Zeketa Cost added: “Tell them that she did not do this and that she lost her balance. My daughter would never do something like this; she loves everybody. They were in 17th place, there was no need for this.”

While the footage doesn’t paint a good picture for the family, it is also easy to see how an accident could have occurred at such close quarters when running at speed.

There was less doubt about a similar incident in Spain, where one competitor shoved his opponent over the finish line. Needless to say, we won’t be seeing them perform at the Olympic Games anytime soon.

Taking to social media, the singer said he received confirmation after ‘taking a paternity test’.

“Earlier this week, I took a paternity test regarding Charlotte Chilton’s baby girl, Penelope, in the presence of her legal representative,” the statement shared on Instagram today (14 March) read.

“Today I’ve received the test results which confirm that I am not Penelope’s father.

“I am glad that the speculation can finally be put to an end.

“All I would ask is that people act with kindness in response to this news – there is a child at the heart of all of this and that should not be forgotten.

“I wish Charlotte and her family all the best. Conor.”

It comes after Charlotte announced her pregnancy in April 2024, alleging that Maynard was the father. The pair reportedly met at The Traitors wrap party through mutual connections.

The recruitment manager, who appeared on season two of the BBC show, claimed that Maynard was the father of her unborn baby.

Notably, Charlotte featured alongside winner Harry Clark, who is dating Conor’s younger sister Anna Maynard.

Then in October 2024, Charlotte welcomed her baby girl to the world.

“Princess Penelope has arrived and we have been enjoying our ‘Penelope bubble’ so much, I am going to be off the radar for a little longer, whilst I enjoy these magical moments with my precious girl!!” she wrote on social media at the time.

“Thank you to all that have checked in to make sure I am ok!! My heart is full xx.”

In a post-baby interview with OK!, she revealed that she’s now on good terms with her family.

“We went through a real ‘hate’ phase when I first got pregnant but we’re friends again now and she’s been great,” she said.

“And my mum, well, she’s basically taken on the role of the father. She’ll get the bottles sterilised for me, she’ll take the baby when I need it, she’ll make sure I eat dinner, because it’s so easy to get through the day without eating anything.

“It’s the best diet in the world, looking after a newborn. The weight has come off me.

“And I don’t feel like I’m missing out – people are always coming here and seeing the baby. Everyone’s so proud of me for doing this alone. I’ve got a real village around me.”

Anthony Albanese told shamed content creator Sam Jones that she should pick on someone her own size – or failing that, to try her luck with a crocodile.

The leader, 62, let rip at the influencer – who claims to be a a ‘wildlife biologist and environmental scientist’ – after footage of her ‘outrageous’ act went viral.

Jones posted a video to Instagram showing her picking up a baby wombat from the side of the road as the joey’s panic-struck mother gave chase.

The animal appeared to be distressed in the shocking clip and was seen trying to wriggle away from the influencer while making hissing sounds.

Observing that the wombat’s mother seemed to be ‘p**sed’ about her baby being seized, Jones then placed the animal back on the side of the road.

Australian officials quickly made it clear that the country’s animals are not for amusement while blasting the American for her ‘dreadful’ stunt.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke previously said his department was weighing up ‘whether immigration law has been breached’ and were considering revoking her visa.

However, Jones later fled Australia of her own accord – although Burke warned she would struggle to ever enter the nation again, ‘given the level of scrutiny that will happen’.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong also said of Jones actions: “It looked pretty dreadful, didn’t it? Really, leave the wombat alone.”

But it’s Albanese comments which have realy got people talking, as he urged Jones to take on something a bit snappier if she ever fancied interfering with wildlife again.

The Prime Minister said in disgust: “To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage.

“I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she might try some other Australian animals, take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there.

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

Jones has since fired back at Albanese and Co in a lengthy statement addressing the controversy, while insisting she is not a ‘villain’.

The influencer claims that she spotted the animals on the side of the road and pulled over to make sure they didn’t get struck by a car.

She explained that she picked up the joey as she became concerned for its welfare when it ‘did not move or run off’ as she approached.

Jones claimed she only ran away from the baby wombat’s mother in ‘fear she might attack’, describing it as a ‘snap judgement’ which she now realises was a mistake.

“I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused,” she said. “I want to make it absolutely clear that this was never about social media or getting likes.

“This was not staged, nor was it done for entertainment,” she added. “In my excitement and concern, I acted too quickly and then failed to provide necessary context to viewers online.”

Jones then slipped in a series of shocking allegations about Aussie politicians and how animals are treated in Australia, while calling out Albanese by name for ‘wishing harm’ on her with his croc comment.

She alleged that the government ‘allows and permits the slaughter of wombats’, which are a legally protected species.

Her savage statement then added: “Your government further spends tens of millions of taxpayer dollars annually to fly around in helicopters and shoot beautiful horses, deer, and pigs out its windows.

“A swift death is often not afforded to these animals.

“[Animal] carcasses are then left on your public lands to rot. Your Snowy River and Kosciuszko National Park brumbys are being slaughtered by the thousands on your dime – speak to your Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about that.”

Further down, she went on to say: “While the Prime Minister wishes harm on me for picking up a wombat, I implore you to take a good, hard look at what is currently being done in Australia surrounding the real issues it faces, the lack of power for tens of thousands of Aussies and the treatment of its native wildlife.

“Then, decide for yourself, if I, a person who certainly makes mistakes, am really your villain.”

Viral footage of the guitarist and television personality emerged online when they were seen together at Universal Music’s after-party at around 3am on 1 March.

Viewers thought the clip appeared to show the pair – who appeared on I’m A Celebrity last year – sharing a kiss.

An ‘onlooker’ told The Sun: “Danny and Maura seem to have a close friendship after meeting in the jungle.

“They were talking and laughing for ages.”

Taking to Instagram today (14 March), Jones issued an apology to his wife Georgia Horsley.

“Hello everyone. Sorry it’s taken me a while to post this but I’ve taken some time out to be with those closest to me,” the statement from the I’m A Celebrity winner read.

“I want to deeply apologise to my wife and family for putting them in this situation. I love them so much and we’ll continue to deal with this privately.

“I love you guys, thank you for your patience, understanding, and support.

“See you all soon, Danny.”

Jones, 39, and Horsley, 38, got married in 2014 and welcomed their son Cooper, seven, in 2018.

The couple were pictured grabbing a coffee in London on Tuesday (11 March), which marked their first public appearance together since the scandal.

On the Wednesday, it was Jones’ Birthday after he reshared a number of posts from friends and fans.

“Happy birthday to someone who can light up a room with just a simple smile,” read one of the messages.

“Hope you have a wonderful day Danny. you so deserve it please remember especially today how loved and cared about you are by so many people hope you are well keep smiling that amazing smile.”

“Happy birthday @dannyjonesofficial please just have a good birthday ur amazing never forget that,” another added.

Bandmate Tom Fletcher penned: “Happy birthday, mush Looking forward to standing on stage with you soon.”

As Jones’ campmate and Coronation Street actor Alan Halsall also chimed in with a picture of the pair in camp together, alongside a ‘Happy Birthday’ message and a king emoji.

Higgins, meanwhile, has stayed away from posting photos on her main feed, but has kept her millions of followers up to date with her work commitments in the US.

She is yet to publicly comment on the incident.

Truly disturbing images of the camp, which is located south of Guadalajara, Mexico’s second biggest city have surfaced online after those desperately pursuing their lost family members and friends made a tragic breakthrough in their search.

According to the Washington Post, over 110,000 people have been reported missing in the South American country in recent years, which prompted the search from a committed Facebook group (Warrior Searchers of Jalisco) which included relatives of the victims.

And what they found was truly horrifying. They arrived on March 5 at an abandoned ranch outside La Estanzuela and soon dug up three underground ovens. They unearthed hundreds and hundreds of bones shards believed to be from skulls, fingers, teeth. It was clear that this was an extermination camp.

One image, showing hundreds of pairs of shoes, draws obvious comparisons with the thousands of shoes that can still be seen today at the Auschwitz museum in Poland.

“Of course, it immediately evokes the conditions at Auschwitz,” said José Ramón Cossío, the former chief justice of Mexico’s Supreme Court, in an interview with the radio program Aristegui Noticias.

Raúl Servín García, of Warrior Searchers of Jalisco, said that it was a ‘tremendous shock’ when he and the others discovered the camp earlier this month.

He added: “The first thought that occurs to you is to hope that no relative — a son, a husband — had ever been in this place, had ever been tortured or murdered there.”

But perhaps one of the most heartbreaking images to have come from this tragedy so far is a letter written in 2003, by a man called Eduardo Lerma.

He writes: My love, if someday I don’t return I only ask you to remember how much I love you.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has since confirmed that federal authorities would take on the investigation of the ranch. “The first thing we have to do in that case is investigate, because the images are obviously painful, we really need to know what happened there before anything else.

“That’s why it’s important that there is a coordinated investigation, and obviously determining who is responsible”, she said (via Bloomberg).

There is also anger with authorities as back in September 2024, the Mexican National Guard raided the complex and detained 10 people, but no further action was taken until the site was re-discovered by the Warrior Searchers of Jalisco.

It remains unclear at this point in time who is behind these atrocious acts but reports from across Mexico suggest that one of the country’s largest cartels, Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), may well be the culprits.

Just six weeks after Michelle Black was told she was cancer-free, the 50-year-old from Hertfordshire was told by doctors that they had discovered a small, inoperable tumour.

Describing it as ‘almost invisible’ as it’s ‘less than a millimetre in size’, the mum was given the emotional news just five days before Christmas.

Michelle was diagnosed with a rare case of bile duct cancer in March 2024, and was told she had beaten it in November before the tragic turn of events.

The Brit was told that the tumour was stage three and incurable, with the rare form of the disease only effecting three in a million people around the world.

Only three in 10 people survive bile duct cancer for more than a year.

Michelle was diagnosed with cancer after losing her appetite, feeling pain under her ribs, realising that her urine was dark and that her skin had turned yellow.

Surgery was carried out to take out 60 per cent of Michelle’s liver, but further tests after this discovered the ‘almost invisible’ tumour in the tissues near her portal vein, which is a major vessel that carries blood from the liver.

While doctors have told her that she has just two to three years left to live, the mother-of-two is set on fighting the disease and finding a cure, so she can be around for her son Mason, 16, daughter Shannon, 31, and two granddaughters.

Speaking to PA Real Life, she admitted: “It’s impossible to believe that I’ve gone from being cancer-free at Christmas to a stage three incurable cancer six weeks later for something so small you can’t even see it,

“The cancer is so small, it is almost invisible – we’re still baffled as to why it can’t be cured.”

Her family are also remaining strong, as her son told her she’s ‘going to get through it’.

Michelle revealed that she has been healthy throughout her life, steering clear of smoking and alcohol.

But after experiencing repeated symptoms and illnesses, she noticed something was wrong in December 2023, and has since experienced numerous hospital admissions, several diagnoses, repeat sepsis and surgery.

Someone who has stuck by her side through all of this is her best friend, Kirstine Cox, 53.

She recalled the time Michelle didn’t feel like eating, and clocked that something was off.

In weeks, she would then start losing weight, up to 0.9kg every 10 days.

A rheumatologist found that she had a high level of Bilirubin, which is caused by the breakdown of red blood cells, which resulted in her being sent for further tests.

The 53-year-old added: “She didn’t think anything serious was going to happen but then she called me from the hospital in floods of tears.

“She said ‘I can’t believe it, they say it could be cancer but they can’t be sure’.”

Kirstine recalls the pair being ‘in tears’ after it was confirmed that Michelle had bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma.

“If you get any cancer, you wouldn’t want this one – it’s one of the most aggressive you can get,” she explained.

As well as part of Michelle’s liver being removed, her gallbladder was also taken out, while her bowel was reattached to try and remove the cancer.

Kirstine said that she looked ‘like a zombie’ because of the medicine.

While the 50-year-old would be readmitted for MRSA and sepsis over the next few months, she was led to believe she was cancer-free by the back-end of 2024, celebrating her 50th birthday in November after further tests showed there was no spread.

However, doctors at Royal Free Hospital confirmed she had a stage three tumour the following month after the mum ‘wasn’t feeling right’.

So far this year, she has undergone one round of chemotherapy and is in and out of hospital, as Michelle described the experience as being ‘like a rollercoaster’.

She stated: “I’d like to thank Kirstine as well as my mum, my sister Claire, my daughter Shannon, my neighbour Emma, my son Mason and everybody who has helped me so far as I try to beat this.”

Kirstine, who started a GoFundMe to raise money for alternative treatments, added: “Michelle is the most wonderful friend you could ever imagine.

“She just wants people to love her and she would do anything for anyone – she radiates love and she radiates kindness.”

The images, taken from a camp named Rancho Izaguirre, show discarded personal items such as shoes, clothing and letters to loved ones littered about the two-acre path of land, which lies around 37 miles away from the city of Guadalajara.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the camp was discovered by volunteers from Warrior Searchers of Jalisco — one of the many groups who work to uncover what happened to the hundreds of thousands of ‘disappeared’ Mexicans.

“It was a tremendous shock,” recalled Raúl Servín García, of Warrior Searchers of Jalisco, said of the discovery.

“The first thought that occurs to you is to hope that no relative — a son, a husband — had ever been in this place, had ever been tortured or murdered there.”

What do we know about ‘extermination camp’ Rancho Izaguirre?

Located in Jalisco state, the camp features numerous buildings, a ‘training’ course complete with barbed wire and tires lining the ground as well as a shrine to folk saint Santa Muerte (Holy Death), a symbol often linked to criminality in the country.

However, the most horrifying discoveries included what appeared to be an underground crematoria, what appeared to be burnt human bones and bullet casings — findings which prompted local media outlets to refer to the site as a ‘extermination camp’ or ‘Mexican Auschwitz’.

Notebooks with handwritten entries of what appeared to be a ‘coded’ ledger of ex-captives was also recovered, alongside a farewell letter which read: “My Love if Some day I don’t Return I only ask you to remember how much I Love you.”

Los Angeles Times added that the National Guard had previously raided the site last September, where two living captives and a third body wrapped in plastic were recovered.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has since confirmed that federal authorities would take on the investigation of the ranch. “The first thing we have to do in that case is investigate, because the images are obviously painful, we really need to know what happened there before anything else,” she said (via Bloomberg).

“That’s why it’s important that there is a coordinated investigation, and obviously determining who is responsible.”

Reports in local media have since suggested that local group Jalisco New Generation Cartel could be responsible, however, this has not been confirmed by authorities.

According to statistics from Mexico’s National Search Commission (CNB), the state of Jalisco has the highest number of disappeared persons, with over 5,000 people reported missing (via Mexico News Daily).

Just months on from the heartbreaking final episode of The Grand Tour, which seemed to signal the end of over 20 years on the screen together, it looks like Clarkson, Hammond and May are making a return.

Call it anticlimactic, but the fact of the matter is that fans of their shows will be over the moon about the news.

The show will air on Prime Video and it’s titled The Not Very Grand Tour, which was confirmed by Amazon today, with more information on the official website for the British Board of Film Classification (bbfc).

It is stated on the BBFC website that the show was produced back in 2024, and that the title will be a ‘motoring comedy documentary series’ – sound familiar?

In the first episode of the first season, titled ‘The Glory and The Power’, the synopsis reads: “In this episode, the team celebrate the combustion engine, with a look back at footage from past adventures and test drives.”

Sounds like a nostalgia trip for everyone to enjoy.

For any doubters out there, it is also stated that the episode was directed by Phil Churchward, who also worked on Top Gear and The Grand Tour.

It is also stated that the cast consists of the trio, with no other names mentioned.

Amazon confirmed in a press release that we can expect The Not Very Grand Tour to be released on Friday 18 April.

The Grand Tour came to a close in September last year, with the three presenters going in separate directions with their careers, such as Clarkson with his farm and pub, Hammond with his own car show and May with his travelling adventures.

But never in a million years did we think that they’d be back together so soon.

In fact, the three made comments hinting towards the popular Prime show continuing after One For The Road.

Speaking to LADbible, May said about the show continuing without them: “Well, there are rumours that it is, and I hope it does.”

And Hammond agreed, saying: “Absolutely, it’d be nice to watch it rather than make it.”

May joked: “I’d like to see these two still in it.”

Hammond said it would be ‘lovely’ if the show carried on, but Clarkson was more particular about some boxes that needed to be ticked if The Grand Tour was to continue.

The 64-year-old journalist explained: “I think they should get three unknowns,

“The biggest mistake they could make, by a mile, is getting people whose names we already know – ‘Oh, they like cars’. That’s not good enough,” he insisted.

Clarkson said they would need to know every detail of the car, down to knowing the model from ‘an eighth of a car’s door mirror’.

“You’ve got to know your stuff. You’ve got to be able to drive, and you’ve got [to be] motoring journalists as well. So, but they’ve got to be unknowns,” he concluded.

Whether the show continues or not, at least we’ve got yet another new episode of the iconic trio to look forward to.

Officials made it clear Sam Jones was no longer welcome in the country in wake of the incident, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese branded an ‘outrage’.

The Montana-based content creator, who touts herself as a ‘wildlife biologist and environmental scientist’, sparked fury on social media after sharing the shocking video.

It showed Jones laughing as she picks up a baby wombat from the side of the road and runs towards her vehicle, while the joey’s mother is seen frantically following her.

As she held the visibly-agitated animal up to the camera, Jones said while grinning: “I caught a baby wombat!”

The wombat appeared to make hissing sounds while attempting to wriggle out of Jones’ clutches – which campaigners say are telltale signs that the animal was in distress.

The influencer seemed to be aware of the upset she was causing to both the mother and child as Jones then remarked: “Okay, mom is right there…and she is p**sed. Alright, let’s let him go.”

The footage then shows her placing the joey back on the side of the road, while attempting to facilitate a reunion with it’s parent, as she yelled out: “Come here mama, come here!”

Jones, who also goes by the name Samantha Strable, was met by sheer disgust online after the clip went viral and Aussies called for her to be deported.

An online petition calling for her to be shown the door reportedly gained more than 30,000 signatures.

The online star, who boasts nearly 100,000 followers, later deleted the Instagram post and has since made her account private.

Anger erupted among politicians in Australia, who branded the stunt ‘cruel’, while emphasising that this is no way for a guest in the country to behave.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urged Jones to see how she’d get on while toying with less forgiving animals in a furious statement.

“[Wombats] are gentle, lovely creatures…I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she should try some other Australian animals, maybe she should try a crocodile.

“Take a baby crocodile from its mother and see how you go there. Take another animal that can actually fight back rather than stealing a baby wombat from its mother.”

Australia’s Home Affairs minister Tony Burke announced that his department was looking into revoking Jones’ visa in response to the footage.

Explaining they would investigate ‘whether immigration law has been breached’, he said at the time: “Either way, given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers. I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return.”

However, Jones had already cut and run before officials had the chance to kick her out.

“There has never been a better time to be a baby wombat,” Burke said on Friday (14 March).

It is not clear whether the government would have had grounds to terminate Jones’ visa, as she has not been charged with a crime or deemed a threat to the nation.

The American attempted to clarify the situation in since-deleted comments on her post, according to the BBC.

She claimed that the baby wombat was ‘carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom’ before ‘they wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed’.

“I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so,” Jones added.

However, wildlife experts aren’t so sure – as Yolandi Vermaak, founder of animal care charity Wombat Rescue, warned that it’s mother could have rejected her offspring after Jones’ interference.

She told Sky News: “My biggest concern is that we didn’t actually see mum and baby getting reunited. When she put it down, it looked disorientated.

“It was turned away from where the mother was last seen. So we don’t know if mum and baby actually found each other again.”

Vermaak also claimed the footage appeared to show that the joey was suffering from a skin disease and urged Jones’ to reveal the location of the video.

“The baby has mange and it’s a matter of time before it dies of mange, so it’s important for us to find where this happened and to get this baby and its mum treated as soon as possible,” she added.

The Wombat Protection Society also slammed Jones for the ‘appalling video’ of her ‘mishandling a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for social media likes’.

“The individual, who appeared to have no understanding of wombat behaviour or the severe stress caused by human interference and separation from its mother, She then placed the vulnerable baby back onto a country road—potentially putting it at risk of becoming roadkill,” it said in a statement.

“There is no clear evidence that the joey was successfully reunited with its mother. A baby of this size is highly dependent on its mother, and prolonged separation could have fatal consequences. Additionally, without proper training in wildlife handling, the tourist not only risked injuring the joey but also putting herself in danger.”

Wombats are a legally protected species in Australia and maintain a close bond with their parent even after emerging from it’s mother’s pouch.

National Geographic explains that joeys ‘frequently crawl back in [the pouch] to feed or to escape danger’.