The American influence that caused criticism this week for stealing a baby from his mother issued a long apology on his Instagram account on Saturday, saying that he only picked up the animal because he feared he was hit by a car.
Sam Jones, a self -demonstrated “outdoor enthusiast” with more than 96,000 Instagram followers, met in hot water this week after publishing the video of the test, which showed the baby Wombat fighting and whistling while his mother attributed them.
The video has been eliminated since then.
Jones said he saw the Wombats on the side of a road, without moving, and worried. She said she tried to make sure that both left the way safely, but when she approached the animals, the baby did not move, Jones said, so “he made a quick trial to pick up the Joey” to see if he was sick.
“I ran, not to start his mother’s Joey, but for fear that he would attack me. The rapid trial I did at the moment was never a place of damage or theft of a Joey,” Jones said.
Jones said she was excited to see the Kombat and “looked at him” quickly before returning to his mother and make sure the couple left the road.
When reflecting, Jones said, he realized that he could have better managed the situation, but that his intentions were good.
“I have learned from this situation, and I am very sorry for the anguish that I have caused,” Jones wrote. “I want to make it absolutely clear that it was never about social networks or to get I like. This was not staged or was done for entertainment.”
Wombats are a type of marsupial that is alone in Australia and are a protected species. It is a crime to damage a Wombat without a license from the authorities, according to the Australian government.
The incident caused the anger of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who called him an “outrage.” Miles signed an online petition that requested that Jones was immediately deported from Australia and prohibit her from returning.
On Friday, Jones left the country.
“There has never been a better day to be a Kombat baby in Australia,” said Interior Minister Tony Burke on Friday, in a statement on Friday.
