A magpie and dog friendship that has amassed a 700,000-plus following on social media has been ended, with the bird seized by wildlife officials.
Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen kept Molly the magpie and Peggy the staffordshire bull terrier at their Gold Coast home, sharing their pets’ antics via Instagram and in a book published late last year.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: The story behind Molly and Peggy’s unlikely friendship.
Newsletters: Our top lifestyle news direct to your inbox. Subscribe now
The couple said they rescued Molly when she fell from a nest in a tree at a local park.
“Reece knelt down to see if the bird was OK, and she ran up his arm and rested on his shoulder,” Wells told 7NEWS in 2021.
They brought the magpie home where they fed and nurtured her.
From there, the interspecies animal friendship blossomed.
“She’ll fly away for a couple of days and then she’ll come back,” Mortensen said in 2021.
The Instagram page sought to provide viewers with a “daily dose of happiness and fun”, according to the profile, while publisher Penguin describes the “Peggy and Molly” book as “a charming and uplifting gift book filled with gorgeous photos of two unlikely companions”.
According to the environment department, Molly — who was “voluntarily surrendered” to wildlife officials — has “been highly habituated to human contact and is not capable of being released back into the wild”.
“It is alleged the bird was taken from the wild and kept unlawfully, with no permit, licence or authority being issued by DESI (Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation),” a department spokesperson said.
“All Queensland native animals are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. To keep a native animal that originates from the wild, a person must have a permit, licence or authority to lawfully have the animal in their possession.
“Animals that are sick, orphaned or injured must go to a person who holds a valid rehabilitation permit, which are issued to people who have demonstrated skills, knowledge and experience dealing with and caring for native animals.
“The purpose of rehabilitating native wildlife is to provide care so that the animal can be released back to the wild.
“When an animal is being rehabilitated, it must be done in a way that minimises humanisation and allows it to exhibit natural instincts and behaviour.
“Animals in rehabilitation must not associate with domestic animals due to the potential for them to be subjected to stress and the risks of behavioural imprinting and transmission of diseases. Animals from the wild must stay wild.”
The department says it’s working to find a “suitable facility” for Molly.
“The magpie is currently under the care of DESI. Unfortunately, it has been highly habituated to human contact and is not capable of being released back into the wild,” the spokesperson said.
“Given that this matter is currently being investigated, it is inappropriate to comment further about potential compliance outcomes.”
Wells and Mortensen are being sought for comment.