Influencer Who Stole Baby Wombat from Its Mom Releases Apology Statement: ‘Truly Sorry for the Distress I Have Caused’

The American influencer who faced backlash for the video she posted of herself taking a baby wombat from its mother in Australia, is speaking out for the first time.

On Friday, March 14, Sam Jones — who refers to herself as a “wildlife biologist and environmental scientist” on her Instagram — posted a lengthy statement on the social media app apologizing for the incident, while claiming that she picked up the wombat so that the animal “didn’t get hit” on the side of the road.

“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 wrote.

“…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 continued. “I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me.”

In the since-deleted video captured by 10 News First, Jones picks up a baby wombat on the side of a road at night and runs away with it laughing as it screeches for its mother. The mama wombat then runs across the street, seemingly trying to protect its baby.

The cameraman says, “Look at the mother, it’s chasing after her!” Jones then says, “I caught a baby wombat!” She adds, “OK mama’s right there and she is pissed, let’s let him go,” before walking across the road to release the baby.

Jones, who has since fled Australia, said her actions were “never from a place of harm or stealing a joey.” She claimed that, after “quickly” examining the wombat, she “immediately returned it to its mother” and the animals “went off together.”

“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 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 insisted that the video she posted of her picking up the wombat “was never about social media or getting likes” and it “was not staged.”

In the second half of her statement, Jones claimed that “thousands threaten my life” and called out the Australian government for allegedly “permit[ting] the slaughter of wombats” in their “thousands each year.” She also called out Australia’s prime minister Anthony Albanese for his response to her over the incident.

“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,” concluded Jones.