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Featured Image Credit: 9 News
Topics: Animal Cruelty, Animals, Australia, Social Media, US News
Britt Jones
Topics: Animal Cruelty, Animals, Australia, Social Media, US News
The influencer shown snatching a baby wombat from its mother in a viral video has issued an apology after fleeing the country amid backlash.
Montana-based content creator Sam Jones’s viral fame came at a huge cost after she shared a video of herself laughing as she picked up a baby wombat from the side of the road and ran towards her vehicle, away from its mother which was frantically following her.
As she held the baby animal up to the camera, the influencer laughed and said: “I caught a baby wombat!”
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The baby can be heard hissing, which led Jones to put the wombat down and say: “OK, mom is right there... and she is p**sed. Alright, let's let him go.”
However, while she claims that she didn’t mean any harm, many viewers were left furious after seeing the footage.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese even called the stunt an 'outrage', stating: “To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage.
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“And, you know, I suggest to this so-called influencer, maybe she might try some other Australian animals.”
He added: “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.”
After the clip went viral on social media, Jones reportedly ended up leaving the country on her own accord.
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Amid the intense backlash, she initially tried to defend her actions via a lengthy statement on Instagram.
However, that didn’t help her cause as the video footage shows her laughing and joking about taking the baby wombat and running away.
So, on March 14, Jones again attempted to defend herself by speaking out.
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She claims that she believed the baby to have been hit by a vehicle, leading her to check it over and pick it up.
Jones wrote: “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.”
She added: “...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. 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.”
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“I have done a great deal of reflection on this situation and have realized that I did not handle this situation as best as I should have,” the influencer said. “My only intent was to prevent these amazing animals from being hit … I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused.”
Jones also claimed that ‘thousands threaten my life’ and alleged the Australian government was ‘permit[ting] the slaughter of wombats’ in their ‘thousands each year’.
She then called out the PM, stating: “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.
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“Then, decide for yourself, if I, a person who certainly makes mistakes, am really your villain.”