(NewsNation) — American influencer Sam Jones, who left Australia amid outrage from its political leaders and others, says her life was threatened for taking a baby wombat away from its mother and posting it on social media.

Jones received the ire of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, with the former suggesting she try doing that to a baby crocodile.

Wildlife groups also criticized Jones and raised concerns that the joey may never have gotten back to its mother after Jones initially ran away to show off the animal for a video.

Jones apologized in a post to her Instagram account after the now-deleted video went viral.

“I stopped to ensure (the wombats) got off the road safely and didn’t get hit,” Jones wrote. “I was concerned it may have been sick or injured, and made a snap judgement to pick up the joey and see if this was the case.”

Jones said she fled from the mother out of fear of being attacked and not to show off the baby for social media clout.

“I have learned from this situation,” she wrote, “and am truly sorry for the distress I have caused.”

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.