American influencer who caused outrage after snatching baby wombat in Australia issues apology
Melbourne, Mar 15 (AP): An American influencer who sparked outrage after posting a video of her snatching a baby wombat from its mother while in Australia apologised on Saturday, saying she had acted out of concern for the young animal's welfare.
Australian authorities had threatened Sam Jones 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.
“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 judgement I made in these moments was never from a place of harm or stealing a joey,” she added.
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.
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 judgement 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 realised 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.
Jones did not immediately respond on Saturday to The Associated Press's questions, including where and when the baby wombat was captured.
A wombat expert said the video revealed the joey had the skin disease mange and would die without treatment.
Jones also did not tell the AP where she was on Saturday.
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Delhi govt making every effort to ensure waterlogging-free monsoon, says CM Gupta
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi government is making every effort, including deploying automatic pumps and personnel at vulnerable spots, to ensure that the national capital remains free from waterlogging during monsoon, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday.
Accompanied by Public Works Department Minister Parvesh Verma, the chief minister inspected the waterlogging-prone Minto Bridge underpass to take stock of the preparations for monsoon.
"Automatic pumps have been deployed here that will flush out water during heavy rain and a 2.5-kilometre-long pipeline has been laid to carry the accumulated water out. Operators will also be on round-the-clock duty" Gupta said.
Vulnerable spots have been identified and corrective measures are being taken. The Delhi government will take every step in a time-bound manner to ensure there is no waterlogging this year, she told reporters.
Gupta will also inspect monsoon preparedness at other major waterlogging points, including Ring Road near the WHO building and the Pul Prahladpur underpass.
