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 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, who have turned Molly and her canine companions into social media stars.
Queensland Environment Minister Andrew Powell on Tuesday ruled Molly was ‘a wild bird’ and confirmed that the couple did not need a permit to keep it.
‘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.’
Molly the Magpie’s carers Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen
The ruling marked the end of an almost year-long battle between the state government and the Gold Coast couple after Queensland’s Department of Science, Environment and Innovation (DESI) seized Molly on March 1, last year.
Molly was returned to her family just six weeks later after the couple applied for a special wildlife licence, with the agreement they would not profit from her image.
However, the Queensland Supreme Court in November decided the licence was invalid and retracted the couple’s licence.
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 had been taken in by her family when the bird was apparently abandoned in 2020.
Mr Powell explained the department’s legislation was under review, claiming Molly’s case had ‘shone a spotlight’ on the state’s laws.
‘To be blunt, this whole Molly the magpie episode has certainly shone a spotlight on our laws and legislation,’ Mr Powell said.
‘I and 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 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.
