US influencer who apologised for snatching baby wombat, lashes out, slams Australia PM

An American influencer faced severe backlash on social media after a video of her picking up a wild wombat and temporarily separating it from its mother went viral. The footage angered Australians and received a reaction from Australian PM Anthony Albanese, who called her act an “outrage.” The content creator Sam Jones, who left Australia following the criticism, shared a note of apology but soon after lashed out at people for judging her. She also criticised the PM and accused the Australian government of killing wild animals each year, including wombats.

"I was concerned"

In her first post addressing the incident, she explained why she picked up the animal. “When we found the mother and joey on a road, not moving, I was extremely concerned. As wombats are so often hit on Australian roads, I stopped to ensure they got off the road safely and didn't get hit. However, as is seen from the video, when I walked up to them, the joey did not move or run off. I was concerned it may have been sick or injured, and made a snap judgement to pick up the joey and see if this was the case,” she wrote.

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“I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me. The snap judgement I made in these moments was never from a place of harm or stealing a joey,” she continued.

"I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused,” she further added as a part of her post.

"Over holding a wombat, thousands threaten my life"

However, moments after sharing this post on Instagram, she issued another statement titled, “Am I a villain? Things, dear reader, are not as they seem.” In the share, she talked about animals that are killed each year by the Australian government. She further lashed out at the PM and urged the Australian citizens to speak to Anthony Albanese about animals being slaughtered in the country.

“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,” she wrote.

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“Survival for these animals can become near impossible, and their lives, a constant state a fear. Their 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,” she continued.

She further posted, “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.”

Australian PM Anthony Albanese’s remark on Sam Jones:

“To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage,” the PM told reporters, reported Sky News.

“And, you know, I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she might try some other Australian animals,” he continued, adding, “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.”