Unlikely pals Peggy and Molly have been reunited

UPDATE
Molly the magpie has been reunited with his Staffy friends and human carers after his 45-day adventure.

“This morning the Department has advised me that the couple can secure the appropriate licence. The team will work with them now to do that,” Mr Miles wrote.

“It’s good news and means Molly can come home very soon. I’d like to thank everyone who has written to me to share their concerns and advocate* for Molly’s return.”

Wildlife officials removed Molly from the couple’s residence on March 1 due to native bird rules, but simultaneously confirmed that Molly could not be rewilded*.

The decision prompted widespread criticism among supporters, who argued that separating Molly from the family’s dogs, Peggy and Ruby, was unjust* and cruel given their strong bond.

The couple rescued Molly as a chick after he fell from his nest at a local park in 2020.

The magpie later became a social media success after the couple began sharing his unlikely friendship with English staffy Peggy on Instagram.

Molly — who was not caged or forced to stay inside — forged a heartwarming bond with the dog, and until March, the pair were often seen eating and playing together in videos shared online.

Mr Miles first expressed support for the bird’s return on March 28, urging authorities to facilitate the issue of proper wildlife permits.

“I’m most interested in what is in the best interests of the animal … I hope my support for that campaign can get Molly back home,” he stated.

“I know they take their responsibilities under the law very seriously, but I think in these circumstances there’s room for some flexibility. I sometimes think common sense needs to prevail. I hope my support for that campaign can get Molly back home.”

On Wednesday morning, Mr Miles delivered the good news.

“I’ve spoken to Reece and Juliette and reassured them Molly is in great spirits and is receiving good care,” he said.

He added the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation advised him that the carers can secure the appropriate licence with work now underway on a return.

Since March 26, over 154,000 Australians have signed an online petition urging authorities to reunite Peggy and Molly.

MOLLY SURRENDERED TO AUTHORITIES
Animal favourites on Instagram, adorable* duo “Peggy and Molly” are the subject of a new post calling on their more than 700,000 followers* for help, after the humans behind the page were forced to surrender* Molly to the authorities.

No ordinary bird, Molly had amassed* a huge Instagram following, thanks to the page detailing his home life with pet Staffordshire bull terrier Peggy.

The pair were said to have formed an unlikely bond after Juliette Wells said she found the young magpie wandering “lost, weak and frightened” while she was out walking her dog in September 2020.

In a video message, caregivers* Ms Wells and her partner Reece Mortensen said they and their pet dogs Peggy and Ruby were “devastated*” to lose the magpie and called for an investigation into how the Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation* (DESI) handled the matter.

“The Department of Environmental Science turned up on our door on the 13th of June wanting us to surrender Molly,” Ms Wells said in the video.

“We refused, as he was thriving* in the trees surrounding our property and had been accepted here. And after long discussions, they left and we thought everything was OK.

“ … We are devastated to give you this news, and of course also these beautiful girls (the dogs) because they have lost their best friend.”

Already a social media sensation*, Molly’s plight* hit mainstream* media this week as Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen launched a fight to get the bird back, while a departmental spokesperson maintained that the domestic living arrangement was “unlawful”.

“A magpie that was allegedly* being unlawfully kept by members of the public was voluntarily surrendered to the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) on Friday 1 March,” the spokesperson said.

On Tuesday night, the Gold Coast couple posted to their Instagram page: “We are asking why a wild magpie can’t decide for himself where he wants to live and who he wants to spend his time with?”

They also asked supporters to email MP Michael Crandon: “You can help us in the fight to return Molly the magpie home by writing an email to the local MP and also the department asking them to open an investigation into the DESI office’s handling of this situation.”

The DESI spokesperson said it was unlawful to care for a magpie without a permit*.

“It is alleged that the bird was taken from the wild and kept unlawfully, with no permit, licence or authority being issued by DESI,” they 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 spokesperson said that wild animals “must stay wild” – but also said it would not be possible to release Molly back into the wild due to behaviours he had developed.

“The purpose of rehabilitating native wildlife is to provide care so that the animal can be released back to the wild,” the spokesperson said.

“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 spokesperson confirmed that Molly was 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,” they said. “A process is currently underway to have the magpie placed at a suitable facility.”

The spokesperson also said investigations into the matter were ongoing and it would be “inappropriate” to comment about “potential compliance* outcomes”.

The animals’ story was turned into a book titled Peggy and Molly, released by publisher Penguin in November. The Gold Coast Bulletin has attempted to contact Ms Wells and Penguin for comment.

POLL

GLOSSARY

• advocate: to publicly support or suggest an idea, policy or way of doing something
• rewilded: process of returning an animal to its natural and/or habitat in the wild
• unjust: unfair, undeserved, unmerited, without reasonable cause
• adorable: delightful, charming, very appealing and loveable
• surrender: give up, relinquishing care and ownership of an animal
• amassed: accumulated. collected, got a large amount of something
• caregivers: people who take care of a person or animal that is young, old, unwell, injured or disabled
• devastated: very shocked and upset
• innovation: practice of developing and using new ideas, methods, products, services or solutions
• thriving: flourishing, prospering, developing, growing very well
• sensation: creating great interest and excitement among a large number of people
• plight: predicament, mess, troubled state or unpleasant condition
• mainstream: conventional, accepted, regular or ordinary, used or understood by most people
• allegedly: said to have been done but unproven, reportedly, supposedly
• originates: begins, starts, arises, stems or emerges from
• rehabilitation: process of returning to a healthy condition and normal, everyday life
• humanisation: act of representing, attributing or treating something as human
• exhibit: show, display, reveal
• imprinting: a young animal comes to regard another animal or a person as a parent or object of trust
• transmission: passing on, transferring, exchanging
• habituated: becoming used to something
• compliance: process of behaving in line with established rules and guidelines

EXTRA READING

Turtle and croc strike up unlikely friendship

Cute orphans become best mates

Bull riding shotgun stops traffic

QUICK QUIZ

1. How many followers does the Peggy and Molly Instagram page have?
2. How does Juliette Wells describe Molly when she came across the bird while out walking the dog?
3. What is the full name of the department that took Molly into its care on March 1?
4. Will Molly be returned to the wild now he has been removed?
5. What do people need to have in order to get valid rehabilitation permit that allows them to care for a native animal?

LISTEN TO THE UPDATE

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Ask Molly!

If you could interview Molly the magpie for a special Kids News story, what would you ask him? Write at least five questions. Then write the answers that you think he would give for each question.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
What do you think would be the best solution for both Molly and Peggy? Write paragraphs explaining what you think could be done to look after everyone involved. Use information in the story to help you.

Time: allow at least 15 minutes to complete this activity

Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social Capability

VCOP ACTIVITY
Stretch your sentence
Find a “who” in the cartoon – a person or an animal. Write it down.

Add three adjectives to describe them better.

Now add a verb to your list. What are they doing?

Add an adverb about how they are doing the action.

Using all the words listed, create one descriptive sentence.