Wombats taken from mom by Sam Jones respond in Australia
The influencer, identified by media reports as Sam Jones, posted a now-deleted video on her Instagram, claiming that she had taken a baby wombat from her mother.
American social media influencers defend themselves after posting a video showing that they were separating their baby wombats from their mothers while in Australia.
Sam Jones posted two statements on Instagram on Friday, claiming he believes the wombat has been ill or injured.
“I was worried that it might have been sick or injured, so I made a snap decision to pick up Joey,” Jones wrote. “The snap decisions I made at these moments were not from where Joey was harmed or stolen.”
The influencer told the camera, “I caught a baby wombat.” “Now, mommy is right there and she’s mad. Let’s let him go,” Jones said.
The BBC reported on Friday that Jones had left Australia. “There was never a better time to become a baby wombat,” Australia’s Home Minister Tony Burke said in a statement to the UK outlet.
Influencers try to protect themselves from Wombat’s anger
Australia’s Wombat Protection Society likes social media on Wednesday! He issued a statement denounced the “terrifying” video, which was made for the “cary” video, adding that influencers are at risk of Joey being hurt on the road.
The video sparked backlash from animal advocates and politicians. It prompted an online petition containing more than 20,000 signatures that demand women be banned from Australia.
In a second statement, Jones pointed his finger at the Australians, saying, “The Australian government allows and allows wombat slaughter. Thousands are shot, suffered, and legally locked up every year.”
According to Australian outlet news.com.au, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delves into Jones and says, “Instead of stealing a baby wombat from his mother, he’ll take another animal that can actually fight back. See how you get there.”
Reuters previously reported that authorities were investigating the terms of her visa and assessing whether she violated immigration law.
Jones is a self-proclaimed “outdoor enthusiast” from Montana, with over 90,000 followers on Instagram.
