Married at First Sight Australia 2022‘s Al Perkins has been forced to apologise after being fined by the Western Australian government for petting a quokka.
ICYMI: Al angered fans after sharing a selfie of himself touching and appearing to feed a quokka on WA’s Rottnest Island in December.
The snap followed the Love Island 2023 star posting an Instagram Story of one of the island’s many signs that read, “I am a wild animal, so please don’t touch me”.
Many furious locals and fans took to social media to slam Al for his “disrespectful behaviour”.
One onlooker even expressed that they’d reported the reality star to the Rottnest Island ranger services.
“Enjoy the fine,” they penned online.
Al has since appeared on fellow MAFS alum Ollie Skelton‘s TOSSER podcast to express regret over his actions.
What did Al Perkins say about being fined for the quokka incident?
In the TOSSER episode that dropped on January 11, Al recounted the “bad” backlash from his quokka selfie, which has since been removed.
“At first, everyone thought it was so cute, but then the WA people started chiming in, and it started getting bad,” he told Ollie.
After reading out several comments from angry netizens, Al said he received an email from the Western Australian government fining him. They also requested him to make a public apology.
As such, he felt his appearance on TOSSER was the “right opportunity” to right his wrongs.
“I want to say that I am sincerely sorry for my actions and my behaviour on the day of going on Rottnest Island,” Al began. “After seeing one of your prized fur babies, I just had to touch it.
“I know you guys said not to, but I am really sorry, and I ask for your forgiveness.”
As he and Ollie laughed during the ‘apology’, Al also asked furious fans to DM him saying, “We forgive you”.
The quokka is a vulnerable species and is restricted mainly to Rottnest Island due to its dwindling population caused by the loss and degradation of its habitat. They are also prey to foxes and feral cats.
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