American influencer apologises after being threatened with deportation for snatching baby wombat from mum
15 March 2025, 17:12 | Updated: 15 March 2025, 17:15
An American influencer who sparked outrage after posting a video of her snatching a baby wombat from its mother while in Australia has apologised, saying she had acted out of concern for the young animal's welfare.
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Australian authorities had threatened Sam Jones with deportation after she posted a video on her Instagram account of her running with a baby wombat in her hands from its mother on a roadside at night.
"I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me," Jones, who also uses the name Samantha Strable, posted on social media.
"The snap judgment I made in these moments was never from a place of harm or stealing a joey," she added.
Sam Jones, who describes herself as an "outdoor enthusiast & hunter", left Australia on Friday, having made her Instagram account private the day before following widespread outrage over the video.
She said she had received death threats over the incident, accusing those threatening her of being 'blind to their country' which 'allows and permits the slaughter of wombats.'
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the video of the young wombat being grabbed was "just an outrage".
Home affairs minister Tony Burke said his department was investigating whether Jones had breached the terms of her visa before she left the country on Friday.
"There's never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia," Burke said after she left Australia voluntarily.
Mr Burke said he did not expect Jones would apply for an Australian visa again.
The animal appears to be a common wombat, also known as a bare-nosed wombat. It is a protected marsupial found only in Australia.
Montana-based Jones claimed she became "extremely concerned" when she found the two wombats on a road not moving.
"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 said.
"However, as is seen from the video, 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 judgment to pick up the joey and see if that was the case," she added.
An unidentified man laughs as he films Jones saying: "I caught a baby wombat." They both note the mother's sounds of aggression.
Animal welfare experts said Jones could have harmed the joey by dangling it by its two forelegs.
Jones said she returned the joey to its mother and ensured they both left 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 said.
"I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused," she added.
A wombat expert said the video revealed the joey had the skin disease mange and would die without treatment.
