An American influencer who sparked outrage after posting a video in which she snatched a small wombat from its mother while in Australia apologized on Saturday, saying she acted “out of concern for the well-being of the young animal.”
Australian authorities had threatened Sam Jones with deportation after she posted a video on her Instagram account showing her running with a baby wombat in her hands, away from its mother on a road at night.
“I ran, not to snatch the cub from its mother, but out of fear that she could attack me,” posted Jones, who also goes by the name Samantha Strable, on social media.
“The hasty decision I made in those moments was never meant to harm or steal a baby,” he added.
The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said that the video showing how they grab the young wombat was “simply an outrage.”
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Tony Burke, said that his department was investigating whether Jones had violated the terms of her visa before she left the country on Friday.
“There has never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia,” Burke said after she left Australia voluntarily.
Burke said he did not expect Jones to apply for an Australian visa again.
The animal appears to be a common wombat, also known as a bare-nosed wombat. It is a protected marsupial found only in Australia.
Jones, a resident of Montana, stated that she felt “extremely worried” when she found the two wombats on a road not moving.
“Since wombats are so often hit on Australian roads, I stopped to make sure they moved away from the road safely and weren’t hit,” said Jones.
“However, as seen in the video, when I approached them, the cub did not move or flee. I was concerned that it might be sick or injured, and I made the hasty decision to pick up the cub and see if that was the case,” he added.
An unidentified man laughs while filming Jones saying, “I caught a baby wombat.” Both notice the sounds of aggression from the mother.
Animal welfare experts said that Jones could have harmed the calf by hanging it from its two front legs.
Jones said he returned the baby to its mother and made sure both of them moved away from the road.
“I have reflected a lot on this situation and I have realized that I did not handle it in the best way possible,” he said.
“I have learned from this situation and sincerely regret the discomfort I have caused,” he added.
Jones did not respond on Saturday to questions from The Associated Press, including where and when the baby wombat was captured.
According to a wombat expert, the video revealed that the cub was suffering from mange and would die without treatment.