Sam Jones, the U.S. influencer who drew criticism this week for stealing a baby wombat from its mother, issued a lengthy apology on her Instagram account Saturday.

The influencer apologized for the "distress" she caused before calling out the Australian government for its anti-wombat policies.

I ran, not to rip the joey away from its mother, but from fear she might attack me,” Sam Jones, who also uses the name Samantha Strable, posted on social media.