An American internet star named Sam Jones caused a lot of anger when she posted a video of herself grabbing a baby wombat from its mother in Australia. She later apologized, saying she only acted because she was worried about the baby wombat’s safety.
Australian officials were looking into whether Jones broke any laws and even threatened to send her back home after seeing her video on Instagram. Jones explained she ran away with the baby wombat because she feared the mother might attack her. “I didn’t mean to take the baby away, I just panicked,” she wrote in her apology.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called her actions “outrageous.” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke mentioned he would check if Jones had broken her visa rules before she left Australia on Friday. He joked that it was a great day for baby wombats and noted that she shouldn’t expect to come back.
Jones, who is from Montana, said she had seen two wombats on the road and wanted to make sure they were safe to avoid an accident. When she got closer, the baby wombat didn’t move, which made her worried it was hurt. “I made a quick choice to pick up the baby to check on it,” she said.
A man who was filming her laughed as she shouted, “I caught a baby wombat,” even as they heard the mother wombat making angry noises. Animal experts pointed out that Jones could have hurt the baby wombat by holding it the way she did.
Eventually, Jones returned the baby wombat to its mother and made sure they both got off the road safely. In her apology, she said she’s thought a lot about the situation and knows she could have done better. “I am really sorry for the trouble I caused,” she added.
Experts also mentioned that the baby wombat looked like it had a skin problem called mange and needed help to survive.
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