U.S. Influencer Breaks Silence After Taking a Baby Wombat From Its Mother in Australia 

U.S. influencer Sam Jones has publicly apologized after she was widely criticized for posting a video of herself taking a baby wombat from its mother during a trip to Australia.

Jones, who has over 90,000 followers on Instagram under the handle “samstrays_somewhere,” initially deleted the video and set her social media to private after the uproar earlier this week. But on Friday, she made her Instagram public once more to share an apology.

Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast & hunter” based in Montana, apologized, saying she was “truly sorry for the distress” she had caused, but also offered an explanation for her actions. Per her statement, she was “extremely concerned” when she saw the wombats on the side of the road, and picked up the baby wombat to see if the animal was “sick or injured” or in need of “immediate care.”

“I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me,” Jones said. “The snap judgement I made in these moments was never from a place of harm or stealing a joey.” The influencer went on to say that she had made sure the baby wombat did reunite with its mother, and that the pair had left the road together.

In a second post, Jones said she had received threats after the initial footage went viral, and seemingly questioned the judgement of some in Australia, where she claims every year “thousands” of wombats “are shot, poisoned to suffer, and trapped legally… Quietly, of course, so as not to face the wrath that has come upon me.” Killing wombats is an offense in Australia unless there is a permit approved.

She went on to condemn the killing of kangaroos in the country, and the practice of keeping animals in zoos. 

Jones' social media response comes after the video in question, filmed in an unknown location in Australia, prompted ire worldwide, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese among those who spoke out.

“To take a baby wombat from its mother… is just an outrage,” Albanese said in a press conference on Thursday. “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.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had also said that Jones’ travel visa would be under review to see if she violated the terms of her stay in the country.

“Given the level of scrutiny that will happen if she ever applies for a visa again, I’ll be surprised if she even bothers,” he said in an email statement, according to CNN. “I can’t wait for Australia to see the back of this individual, I don’t expect she will return.”