A Gold Coast couple whose pet magpie was seized by Queensland authorities will have it returned on the condition they no longer profit from the bird.
Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen said they rescued the then-fledgling in 2020 and raised it alongside their pet Staffordshire terrier, Peggy.
The unlikely friendship that blossomed between the pair was documented on social media, gaining over 800,000 followers and landing the couple a book deal with Penguin.
Last month the pair surrendered the bird to the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI), which claimed the magpie was “taken from the wild and kept unlawfully with no permit, licence or authority”.
But following a public outcry and calls from Queensland Premier Steven Miles to return the bird, DESI agreed to work with the couple to issue an appropriate licence.
The department said in a statement that independent expert veterinary advice had shown that Molly was highly habituated and may have developmental issues, meaning he can never be rehabilitated or returned to the wild.
It has also outlined a number of conditions for the bird’s return, including that Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen agree to not to receive any commercial gain from the bird or its image.
They are also ordered to undertake wildlife carer training and to continue engaging with authorities to ensure the bird is receiving adequate care.
The couple are also encouraged to publicly educate others how to appropriately care for native wildlife.
Wildlife on social media
Bond University associate professor of law Wendy Bonython said it was vitally important for the government to not set a precedent of allowing people to profit from native wildlife.
“The government has always got one eye to the issues around illegal wildlife trade and commercialisation of native animals,” she said.
“So that’s the bigger reason why we might want to regulate, for example, who can rescue animals that they find on the side of the road.
“That’s obviously a very, very long way removed from this particular set of circumstances, but it explains why we have those rules in the first place.”
Dr Bonython said whether or not the adventures of Molly and Peggy would continue to appear on the internet would come down to the details attached to the licence.
“It’s going to depend an awful lot on what the Instagram account is being used for, whether it’s being used to generate personal profit, whether it’s being used to promote wildlife conservation and protection measures, or whether it’s somebody posting essentially photos of their pet,” she said.