misho
An American influencer has sparked widespread anger in Australia after appearing in a video holding a baby wombat away from its mother, who panicked and ran after her.
Influencer Sam Jones issued a lengthy apology on Instagram, stating that she had received thousands of death threats following the viral spread of the video. She insisted that she had no intention of causing harm.
In the footage, Sam is seen picking up the baby wombat from the road while laughing and running toward a car, exclaiming, “I caught a baby wombat!” Meanwhile, the distressed mother tries to catch up before the person filming urges Sam to let go of the animal, prompting her to return it to the same spot.
The video triggered widespread condemnation, reaching Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who challenged her by saying, “Try taking a baby crocodile from its mother and see how that goes.”
Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke stated that the government was reviewing the possibility of canceling Sam Jones’ visa. She voluntarily left Australia, deleted the video, and released a statement explaining that her car had stopped after seeing two wombats crossing the road. While the mother ran off, the baby remained still, so she decided to pick it up to move it away from potential danger.
Jones added that she ran while holding the baby wombat out of fear that the mother might attack her. She emphasized that her actions were not meant as a joke or to cause harm but were rather an overenthusiastic reaction carried out too quickly without proper explanation.
Additionally, she criticized Australia’s animal culling laws, which permit the killing of wombats, kangaroos, horses, deer, and wild pigs under specific conditions. She maintained that she did not harm the wombat she picked up.
It is worth noting that wombats are protected under Australian law, though permits can be obtained to cull them when necessary.
