'For holding a wombat, thousands threatened my life'

A US influencer who was filmed taking a chaotic babe wombat distant from its distressed parent successful Australia has said she is "truly sorry" and received thousands of decease threats implicit the incident.

Sam Jones, who calls herself an "outdoor enthusiast and hunter", was filmed picking up the joey connected the broadside of a road, portion laughing and moving implicit to a car, portion the parent chases aft them.

It sparked a monolithic backlash, with Australian PM Anthony Albanese challenging her to "take a babe crocodile from its parent and spot however you spell there".

In a lengthy connection connected her Instagram page, Jones says she was trying to get the animals safely disconnected the road.

She says, arsenic tin beryllium seen successful the video, that the parent runs disconnected the road, but the babe does not, and Jones scoops it up. She says she ran crossed the roadworthy "not to rip the joey distant from its mother, but from fearfulness she mightiness onslaught me".

"The drawback judgement I made successful these moments was ne'er from a spot of harm oregon stealing a joey," the connection says.

She emphasises that it was "not staged, nor was it done for entertainment", and successful her excitement of the moment, "acted excessively rapidly and failed to supply indispensable discourse to viewers online".

In the 2nd portion of her statement, Jones launches a scathing onslaught connected Australia's carnal culling laws, including wombats, kangaroos, horses, cervid and pigs.

Australia has assorted culling laws and regulations that spark contention and disagreement the nation.

Wombats, which are autochthonal to Australia, are a protected species, but permits tin beryllium obtained to cull them if deemed necessary.

The choler that rippled crossed Australia was truthful beardown that Home Affairs curate Tony Burke said his section was reviewing whether it could revoke Jones's visa. However, the BBC understands that she near the state of her ain accord.

Jones, who besides goes by the sanction Samantha Strable, has astir 95,000 followers and describes herself arsenic an "outdoor enthusiast and hunter" connected her Instagram profile. She has since deleted the wombat post.