After weeks of pressure on the Queensland Government, Molly the magpie will be reunited with the Gold Coast couple who nurtured it to health and welcomed it as a member of their family, state Premier Steven Miles confirmed. I sure am glad this crucial issue has been resolved.
Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen found Molly the magpie when it was a helpless fledgling in 2020, and brought it into their home to take care of it. Molly was raised by Wells and Mortensen with their two English Staffies, Peggy and Ruby, and formed a unique bond with the dogs.
This friendship was documented by Wells, and launched Molly to internet stardom, gaining millions of followers.
However, because neither Wells or Mortensen possessed the licence required that would allow them to take care of wild animals, Molly was seized by Queensland’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) and relocated to a rehabilitation centre staffed by people who knew what they were doing.
This news caught Wells and Mortensen by surprise, despite the fact they were given half a year of warning, which resulted in over a fortnight of them posting though the *cough* self inflicted *cough* pain.
However, in good news for everyone who aspires to unlawfully raise a wild animal, after an orchestrated letter writing/phone call campaign to the DESI and Queensland Premier’s offices, Steven Miles has come out to publicly say that Molly will be returning home.
“I’ve got great news today for everyone who’s contacted me concerned about the plight of Molly the magpie,” Miles said in a video on his social media pages.
“The Environment Department has identified a permit process that Molly’s carers can use to get Molly back home, and I’ve spoken to them this morning they’re working together with the department today,” he continued.
“Hopefully we can have Molly home really soon. Thanks to everyone who’s contacted me, commented on my page, and told me they want to see Molly home.”
@stevenmilesmp UPDATE ON MOLLY: Good news. The Department has found a way to get Molly back home to his carers.
♬ original sound – Steven Miles
Okay first up, somebody please check on Steven Miles, that video sounds like he’s being held at gunpoint, and I fear for his safety.
Secondly: yayyyyyy! A bird is going to be reunited with the people who raised it without any concern for its longterm safety and then used its dependency on them for views online! What a great tale with absolutely no morals whatsoever.
Honestly this whole saga feels so reminiscent of the classic Aussie film The Castle. Except in The Castle, Darryl Kerrigan was protecting his beloved home from the bad guys who wanted to take said home away and expand an airport. In this story, the “antagonist” is an environment protection group who are concerned about the unlawful upbringing of a wild animal that could spread disease.
Look, having a pet taken away from you is a terrible thing, and heartbreaking for the entire family. I feel that.
But like… Molly was not a pet.
Molly was born in the wild, and then raised by two people who frankly didn’t know what they were doing. Sure, they had the best intent, but it can be hard to remain unbiased about keeping an animal after it gets you millions of views online.
@babblevt How does a bird learn to bark like that 😂 #dogs #memes #funnyvideos #fypシ #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – Babble
Molly has now been raised alongside its natural predators, which ultimately means that Molly cannot return to the wild, at all.
Magpie expert Gisela Kaplan from the University of New England told the ABC that Molly may think it’s a dog.
“I don’t know whether it had encountered other magpies or not, but if it hadn’t, it probably doesn’t even know it is a magpie,” she told the publication.
“It would need to be completely reset and that may be a bit late for it.”
You wanna know why the bird kept coming to you? Because it didn’t have anything else it could do. It thinks it’s a dog.
I’m sorry for being a dickhead and a spoilsport, but like, don’t just raise wild animals you find?
Take them to a vet. That shouldn’t be a controversial take. There’s literally an episode of fucking Bluey about it, that’s how childish this behaviour is.
And honestly, more importantly, don’t waste the time of government officials by making it their problem that you didn’t get a permit after being given months of warning. They’re trying to run an entire state, not your Instagram page.
Wow I am really getting worked up by this, I’m about to pop a blood vessel — is this what Andrew Bolt feels like? Oh god help me.
[Image: Getty/Instagram]
