Influencer apologizes to the taking of Baby Wombat after setbacks

The American influencer Sam Jones has published a public apology after she was intensively exposed to a viral video in which she took a baby and ran away from his mother when the Joey screamed in need. The film material made in Australia triggered outrage among wildlife experts, animal lovers and even the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who condemned their actions as “outrage”.

Jones, who describes himself as a “wildlife biologist and environmental scientist”, went on Instagram on Friday, March 14th to defend their actions and regret:

“I thought a lot about this situation and found that I didn't deal with it as well as I should do.”

Despite their apology, many are not convinced, accuse the cruelty to animals and used wild animals for social media.

Viral video shows desperate Wombat Joey

The now deleted video, which was originally recorded by 10 news, showed how Jones approached a baby Wombat on the side of the road at night before he reached and ran away when the Joey screamed for his mother. The mother Wombat was hectically chased after them.

“Look at the mother, you chase it!” The cameraman can be heard in the film material.

Jones then excitedly calls out: “I caught a baby Wombat!” Before I added: “Ok, mom is right there and she is angry, let him go.”

The video immediately became viral, with critics Jones accused Jones of screaming the animals and possibly endangering the survival of the Joey. Animal cruelty laws in Australia are strict, with punishments of up to $ 149,000 in fines and seven years in prison for crimes.

Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese weighed and hit Jones' behavior:

“Take a baby crocodile from his mother and see how to go there,” he noticed.

Jones defends her actions, claims that it is not for social media

In her lengthy apology, Jones claimed that she acted out of concern for the security of the Wombat and not because of the attention of social media. She insisted that she believed that the animals were in danger when she saw that she didn't move on the street.

“Since Wombats are hit on Australian roads so often, I stopped to make sure that they got out safely and not met,” she wrote.

“When I came up with her, the Joey did not move or didn't ran away. I was concerned that it might have been sick or injured and made a short judgment to pick up the Joey and check whether this was the case. “

Jones said she quickly examined the Joey and then brought it back to his mother, and claimed they both went together.

She also denied that the video for engagement has staged and explained:

“This was never about social media or about getting likes.”

However, many remain skeptical and point out that their laughter in the video contradicts their claims of serious concern for the animal.

The influencer flees from Australia while it is legally checked

After the counter reaction, Jones left Australia abruptly, with the officials confirmed that she had voluntarily left.

According to Minister for Interior Affairs, Tony Burke, the Australian government checks the conditions of its visa, which indicates that it could have legal consequences when returning.

Australia has some of the strictest animal welfare laws, and Jones could be exposed to high fines or even prison sentence if it is charged with a crime.

In the second half of her statement, however, Jones shifted the focus and claimed that she was the real victim in the situation.

“Thousands of threatening my life,” she wrote before criticizing the Australian government to “supposedly allowed the slaughter of Wombats” while aimed at her instead.

She also aimed at Prime Minister Albanese and wrote:

“While the prime minister wishes me damage to have picked up a Wombat, I ask you to deal well with the real problems in Australia.”

Public outrage continues while Jones faces consequences

Jones' attempts to justify their actions have contributed little to calm the counter -reaction. Wildlife experts have repeated that the disturbance of wild animals can influence immense distress and their survival.

Her claims to be a “wildlife biologist and environmental scientist” are also questioned, with many demanding evidence of your references.

At the moment Jones remains outside of Australia, but when the public anger continues to grow, her reputation – and possibly your legal position – cannot recover so soon.