{"id":2413348,"date":"2025-03-15T14:18:59","date_gmt":"2025-03-15T18:18:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/american-influencer-who-caused-outrage-after-snatching-a-baby-wombat-in-australia-issues-apology-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-03-15T14:18:59","modified_gmt":"2025-03-15T18:18:59","slug":"american-influencer-who-caused-outrage-after-snatching-a-baby-wombat-in-australia-issues-apology-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/american-influencer-who-caused-outrage-after-snatching-a-baby-wombat-in-australia-issues-apology-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"American influencer who caused outrage after snatching a baby wombat in Australia issues apology &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Famerican-influencer-who-caused-outrage-after-snatching-a-baby-wombat-in-australia-issues-apology-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2413348&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">American influencer who caused outrage after snatching a baby wombat in Australia issues apology<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2040065\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) &mdash;<\/strong> An American influencer who sparked outrage after posting a video of her snatching a baby wombat from its mother while in Australia apologized on Saturday, saying she had acted out of concern for the young animal&rsquo;s welfare.<\/p>\n<p>Australian authorities had threatened&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/australia-wombat-snatching-influencer-sam-jones-a87f314a9f9c4175b886181d96392c15\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Sam Jones<\/a>&nbsp;with deportation after she posted a video on her Instagram account of her running with a wombat joey in her hands from its mother on a roadside at night.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3349021\/cuba-electrical-grid-collapse-total-blackout\/\">Cuba&#8217;s electrical grid collapses, leaving millions in &#8216;total blackout&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3349028\/river-zambia-acidic-waste-spill-chinese-mine\/\">A river &lsquo;died&rsquo; overnight in Zambia after an acidic waste spill at a Chinese-owned mine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3349022\/vatican-switchboard-nuns-pope-francis\/\">Vatican switchboard nuns field growing calls about pope &mdash; but no, you can&rsquo;t speak with him directly<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3292730\/all-executive-orders-actions-trump-first-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FULL LIST OF EXECUTIVE ORDERS, ACTIONS, AND PROCLAMATIONS TRUMP HAS MADE AS PRESIDENT<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me,&rdquo; Jones, who also uses the name Samantha Strable, posted on social media.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The snap judgement I made in these moments was never from a place of harm or stealing a joey,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/anthony-albanese\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Anthony Albanese<\/a>&nbsp;said the video of the young wombat being grabbed was &ldquo;just an outrage.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia,&rdquo; Burke said after she left Australia voluntarily.<\/p>\n<p>Burke said he did not expect Jones would apply for an Australian visa again.<a><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The animal appears to be a common wombat, also known as a bare-nosed wombat. It is a protected marsupial found only in Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Montana-based Jones claimed she became &ldquo;extremely concerned&rdquo; when she found the two wombats on a road not moving.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3228342\/department-of-government-efficiency-what-to-know\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WHAT IS DOGE? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As wombats are so often hit on Australian roads, I stopped to ensure they got off the road safely and didn&rsquo;t get hit,&rdquo; Jones said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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 judgement to pick up the joey and see if that was the case,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>An unidentified man laughs as he films Jones saying: &ldquo;I caught a baby wombat.&rdquo; They both note the mother&rsquo;s sounds of aggression.<\/p>\n<p>Animal welfare experts said Jones could have harmed the joey by dangling it by its two forelegs.<\/p>\n<p>Jones said she returned the joey to its mother and ensured they both left the road.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I have learned from this situation, and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Jones did not respond on Saturday to the <em>Associated Press<\/em>&rsquo;s questions, including where and when the baby wombat was captured.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3244610\/four-big-deadlines-2025-trump-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FOUR BIG DEADLINES IN 2025 THAT WILL TEST GOP TRIFECTA LEADERSHIP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A wombat expert said the video revealed the joey had the skin disease mange and would die without treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Jones also did not tell the AP where she was on Saturday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2040065\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2040065\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American influencer who caused outrage after snatching a baby wombat in Australia issues apology MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) \u2014 An American influencer who sparked outrage after posting a video of her snatching a baby wombat from its mother while in Australia apologized on Saturday, saying she had acted out of concern for the young animal\u2019s welfare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2413349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wombat-australia-american-influencer.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2413348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/wombat-australia-american-influencer.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2413348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2413349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2413348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2413348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2413348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}