Molly the magpie has fluttered back home to his pet parents and their canine companions.
Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen, who live in Australia, were overjoyed to watch the feathered friend reunite with their pet dogs, Peggy and Ruby, weeks after he was forcibly taken away by officials from Queensland’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI).
“WE HAVE THE BEST NEWS. MOLLY IS HOME!!!!,” read an update posted on the widely followed peggyandmolly Instagram page.
“We are overwhelmed with emotion right now. I have been visualizing & looking forward to this day for what feels like a lifetime,” wrote Molly’s pet parents. “It was a very exciting reunion at the Dept this morning for us with a little cry of happiness from Molly.”
After weeks of anticipation, Molly the famous magpie has returned home to his beloved canine companions
Image credits: peggyandmolly
It was a delightful medley of barks and chirps as Molly returned home to Peggy and Ruby, the Queensland couple’s Staffordshire bull terriers.
“When we arrived home the Peggy & Ruby wiggly bottoms were in full force and a few excited noises from Molly,” the update said. “We are so grateful to you our supporters, QLD Premier Steven Miles & the DESI for allowing us to get our licence & to be reunited with Molly again. We look forward to life settling back down to normal very soon.”
It was a joyful tail-wagging reunion as couple Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen welcomed Molly back home
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Molly’s story captured hearts across the world soon after he was rescued by Juliette and Reece after falling from his nest. The couple nursed Molly back to health and had the pleasure of watching him form an unbreakable bond with their canine, Peggy.
The magpie quickly became an integral part of the family, and his sweet friendship with Peggy garnered fans worldwide, amassing more than 850K followers on Instagram. However, Molly’s story took a nosedive after DESI officials seized the bird because Juliette and Reece didn’t have the required permit to keep the winged internet star at their home.
Molly rose to fame as the couple shared the sweet friendship between the bird and their pet dogs online
Image credits: peggyandmolly
Molly’s seizure stirred up an online battle with netizens demanding his reunion with the family and especially his doggy BFF, Peggy.
Now, weeks after Molly was separated from the family, Juliette and Reece can finally watch the friendship between the magpie and the terriers continue to bloom.
Fans of the adorable animal friends were happy to hear that the magpie was finally back with his family.
People online were elated to hear the news of Molly’s heartwarming homecoming
So happy to read this!! I just wish they'd have left Molly where he was while they got the family licensed. He was obviously well cared for and thriving. I can't imagine how confusing it was to be taken from his home.
Well, the people from the wildlife authority couldn't leave him there, because the law had been breached, and it's their job to respond to such breaches. They had no choice in the matter. But, you can bet that the staff of that same dept would have been giving advice to the 'owners' and to the govt as to how things could be resolved to the bird's best advantage (i.e, to legally return him). They're not stupid, they're not monsters, and they would have wanted the best for the animal.
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The picture of them asleep holding each others feet is gorgeous
Hmmm. As a fellow Queenslander, this sits a little uneasily with me. We have laws about NOT interacting with wildlife, and allowing them to live their lives. If an wild animal is injured, contact the department so they can best treat and rehabilitate the animal with a view to returning it "home". What I see here is a family breaks the law (accidentally or not), turns that animal into a "social media star" that is no longer able to be returned to the wild, and public servants trying to do the right thing being threatened (and thrown under the bus by the Premier .... grrrr), and then the squeaky wheel getting the oil. Maybe I'm bitter as a Queensland public servant myself: "We want you to follow this policy, WITHOUT exceptions" --> policy followed --> social media kerfuffle --> "No, let's make an exception this one time." I guess this makes it OK for me to go and (illegally) hunt down an echidna to turn into a social media star???
So happy to read this!! I just wish they'd have left Molly where he was while they got the family licensed. He was obviously well cared for and thriving. I can't imagine how confusing it was to be taken from his home.
Well, the people from the wildlife authority couldn't leave him there, because the law had been breached, and it's their job to respond to such breaches. They had no choice in the matter. But, you can bet that the staff of that same dept would have been giving advice to the 'owners' and to the govt as to how things could be resolved to the bird's best advantage (i.e, to legally return him). They're not stupid, they're not monsters, and they would have wanted the best for the animal.
Load More Replies... The picture of them asleep holding each others feet is gorgeous
Hmmm. As a fellow Queenslander, this sits a little uneasily with me. We have laws about NOT interacting with wildlife, and allowing them to live their lives. If an wild animal is injured, contact the department so they can best treat and rehabilitate the animal with a view to returning it "home". What I see here is a family breaks the law (accidentally or not), turns that animal into a "social media star" that is no longer able to be returned to the wild, and public servants trying to do the right thing being threatened (and thrown under the bus by the Premier .... grrrr), and then the squeaky wheel getting the oil. Maybe I'm bitter as a Queensland public servant myself: "We want you to follow this policy, WITHOUT exceptions" --> policy followed --> social media kerfuffle --> "No, let's make an exception this one time." I guess this makes it OK for me to go and (illegally) hunt down an echidna to turn into a social media star???
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