An influencer who received widespread criticism after she stole a baby wombat from its mother in Australia has broken her silence.
The social media influencer, Sam Jones, addressed the criticism in a two-part statement posted on her Instagram on Friday.
In her statement, Jones — who described herself as an “outdoor enthusiast & hunter” per BBC — claimed she took the joey from its mother because she was concerned about its well-being and said she did not act “from a place of harm.”
Jones came under fire earlier this week after she posted a video on social media, in which she was seen picking up a baby wombat and carrying it across the road away from its mother while laughing.
In the since-deleted video, Jones’ companion off-camera laughed as she ran over with the joey.
“Look at the mother, it’s chasing after her!” her friend said, while the joey’s mother followed.
Jones was then seen holding the joey, who appeared to cry in distress.
“I caught a baby wombat!” she said, smiling, before the animal’s mother approached the car. “OK mama’s right there and she is pissed, let’s let him go.”
Jones carried the baby wombat across the road to seemingly reunite the joey with its mother.
According to the BBC, she captioned the deleted video, “My dream of holding a wombat has been realised! Baby and mom slowly waddled back off together into the bush.”
She added in the comments section, “The baby was carefully held for one minute in total and then released back to mom. They wandered back off into the bush together completely unharmed. I don’t ever capture wildlife that will be harmed by my doing so.”
However, Jones subsequently was met with backlash over the video, receiving criticism online from the public along with animal rights organizations.
The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Alanese, publicly condemned Jones’ actions.
“To take a baby wombat from its mother, and clearly causing distress from the mother, is just an outrage,” Albanese said in part, according to theAssociated Press.
The Australian government announced on Friday that Jones had left the country after previously stating that the conditions of her visa were being reviewed following the video.
Wombat Protection Society also criticized over what it called the “mishandling of a wombat joey in an apparent snatch for ‘social media likes,'” per the BBC.
On Friday, Jones spoke out for the first time about the incident, issuing an apology on Instagram.
In the first part of her statement, the influencer explained the reason behind her actions.
“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,” Jones began.
“However, as is seen from the video, when I walked up to them, the joey did not move or run off,” she continued. “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,” she added. “The snap judgement I made in these moments was never from a place of harm or stealing a joey.”
Jones went on to say that she looked the wombat “over quickly and immediately returned it to its mother.” She added, “I ensured that the mother and joey did reunite, went off together, and that they got off the road.”
“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,” she wrote. “Regardless, my only intent was to prevent these amazing animals from being hit, and making sure the joey wasn’t in need of immediate care. I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused.”
She concluded her post by writing that she wants to “make it absolutely clear that this was never about social media or getting likes.”
“This was not staged, nor was it done for entertainment,” Jones said. “In my excitement and concern. I acted too quickly and then failed to provide necessary context to viewers online.”
Meanwhile, Jones had a rather different change of tone in her second statement. She claimed she’s received “thousands” of death threats over the incident, and slammed the Australian government over its animal culling laws, per the BBC.
“Am I a villain?” Jones began. “Things, dear reader, are not as they seem. Over holding a wombat, thousands threaten my life. Let me be clear; these same people ought to understand the reality of Australia today. For the readers that are so angered by my mistaken attempt to help and that I am a hunter — do not be blind to your country.”
She then accused the government of “allow[ing] and permit[ting] the slaughter of wombats,” claiming, “Thousands each year are shot, poisoned to suffer, and trapped legally.”
Jones continued to criticize the Australian government’s alleged treatment of wombats and other wild animals, before she then hit back at the Australia’s prime minster’s public comments over the video.
“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,” she wrote.
“Then, decide for yourself, if I, a person who certainly makes mistakes, am really your villain,” Jones concluded.
Her Instagram bio now reads: “For the truth regarding the wombat incident, read my official statements here. These are my ONLY official statements & the only account I am using.”
