Molly the magpie to reunite with dog best friend Peggy
A MAGPIE and a Staffordshire bull terrier who struck up an unlikely friendship before being separated are to be reunited thanks to an intervention by an Australian state premier.
The magpie, called Molly, was taken away by Queensland’s department of environment because it was being kept illegally by Reece Mortensen and Juliette Wells.
The couple cared for the bird as a chick after it fell from a nest in a park on the Gold Coast four years ago. But the bird became attached to Peggy, the family’s dog, and refused to leave.
For social media, it was a match made in heaven. The animals have an Instagram page called Peggyandmolly which offered “a daily dose of happiness and fun with mumma Peggy (and) Molly the magpie”. It has more than 800,000 followers.
Photos show Molly with its canine companion on a couch, nibbling Peggy’s ear and lying on a rug alongside the dog. The two animals also feature in an Easter tableau complete with chocolate eggs, bunnies and flowers.
Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen had to hand over the bird last month because it was being kept without a licence. “Animals from the wild must stay wild,” a spokesman said at the time. The removal triggered a petition by Molly’s fans who called on environmental authorities to return it.
The demand struck a chord with Steven Miles, the premier of Queensland.
Mr Miles said yesterday that the situation had been reassessed. “The department has advised me that the couple can secure the appropriate licence,” he said. “The team will work with them now to do that.”