The Queensland Government has confirmed Molly the Magpie can stay with its owners for good after a court action threatened to tear them apart.
The magpie has been living with Gold Coast couple Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen along with their Staffordshire Terrier pets Peggy and Ruby.
Molly was removed from the home in March 2024 when authorities learned that the couple had no permit to care for native wildlife, but the bird was returned six weeks later after a public outcry.
The bird’s future with the family was in limbo for months after a Supreme Court judge in November overturned the granting of a specialised wildlife carer’s licence to the couple.
Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell on Tuesday ruled Molly was ‘a wild bird’ and not being kept, so the couple did not need a permit.
‘We’re not seizing the bird,’ Mr Powell said.
‘My understanding is, from the briefs I have received from my department, is the bird is free to come and go, in essence it is wild and therefore a permit isn’t required.’
The ruling marked the end of an almost year-long battle between the state bureaucracy and the Gold Coast couple after Queensland’s Department of Science, Environment and Innovation (DESI) seized Molly on March 1, last year.
The Queensland Government has confirmed Molly the Magpie can stay with its carers Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen (pictured with dogs Peggy and Ruby)
Queensland legislation bans native wild animals from being domesticated because of the possible impact on wildlife.
Animals that are sick, orphaned or injured can only be rescued and cared for by those who hold a rehabilitation permit and intend to release them back into the wild.
But Ms Wells denied the bird was being kept in captivity and insisted that Molly chooses to spend time with the family, and comes and go of his own accord.
The unique relationship between a bird, two humans and two dogs had won them a legion of followers on social media.
Those fans had keenly followed the drama of whether Molly would be taken away, and lobbied the government to step in.
The saga also exposed the risk of government over-reach, of officials intruding on the lives of pets and their keepers at the behest of interfering outsiders.
‘To be blunt, this whole Molly the magpie episode has certainly shone a spotlight on our laws and legislation,’ Mr Powell said.
‘My department are looking at them to work out what needs to be improved to make sure this kind of situation doesn’t happen again.’
The decision has ended an almost year-long saga after the state government seized Molly on March 1, last year
Molly became a global phenomenon after the couple shared the ‘interspecies friendship’ between the magpie and the couple’s two Staffordshire terriers Peggy and Ruby online
The Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said it was determining Molly’s future care.
‘Our highest priority continues to be the ongoing welfare of the magpie,’ a spokesperson said.
‘We currently have a process underway that will determine the magpie’s future care arrangements.
‘Our officers have spoken with the licence applicant and advised the current care arrangement can continue while these processes are underway.’
Molly became a global phenomenon when Ms Wells, told the story online of the unlikely ‘interspecies friendship’ between the magpie and her Staffordshire terriers.
The trio shot to fame, attracting two million followers across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, and starred in a book filled with photos of the unlikely companions, with fans gushing over the ‘very special’ relationship between the three animals.
