Influencer Who Stole Baby Wombat Criticizes Australian Government amid Ongoing Backlash
The American influencer who faced backlash after taking a baby wombat from its mother in Australia sent a message to news viewers after failing to appear for a scheduled on-air interview.
Sam Jones — who has over 96,000 followers on Instagram — was reportedly scheduled to appear on Australia's Channel 10 talk series The Project on Sunday, March 16, but she canceled at the last minute. The show's host, Hamish Macdonald, explained that she backed out of their interview while discussing Jones' recent Instagram statement apologizing for the controversy.
In Jones' original, since-deleted video, she was seen picking up a baby wombat on the side of a dark road at night and running away with it as it dangles from her grasp. Local news outlet 10 News First captured footage of her wildlife interference that sparked international outrage.
Related: Influencer Faces Backlash for Stealing a Screaming Baby Wombat from Its Mom in Controversial Video
Instead of taking the scheduled call, Macdonald said the influencer — who previously referred to herself as a "wildlife biologist and environmental scientist" on Instagram — sent a video statement. In the video, Jones began by "taking responsibility" for her actions, once again admitting she made "an incredible mistake" which she's regretted since.
"However, there's something much bigger at play here, and it would be a disservice to ignore it. If this situation has proven anything, it's proven that Australians care deeply about their wildlife, and that is something I intensely admire," Jones said. She continued to allege that every year, "the Australian government issues permits for the killing of thousands and thousands of wombats across Australia, along with millions of Kangaroos."
She directed viewers to her X account @AustraliaCulls, which is currently restricted on the social media platform. Jones said that she had shared "never-before-seen photos" of the country's mass "culling operations."
"The same government that is calling for my head is that one that spends millions of your tax dollars to mass slaughter native Australian animals, as well as the Snowy River and Kosciuszko brumbies, wild pigs and numerous deer species," she concluded.
Related: Influencer Who Stole Baby Wombat from Its Mom Releases Apology Statement: 'Truly Sorry for the Distress I Have Caused'
Jones previously called out the government in her Instagram statement shared on Friday, March 14. After apologizing and attempting to explain her actions seen in the video, she similarly alleged that Australian authorities were "permit[ting] the slaughter of wombats." She singled 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,' wrote Jones, who has since fled Australia.
To justify her own encounter with the wombat, the first half of her statement claimed that she picked up the wombat so that the animal 'didn't get hit' on the side of the road.
Related: Influencer Who Stole a Screaming Baby Wombat from Its Mom Leaves Australia After Facing Backlash
'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' Instagram post reads.
'...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.'
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