Tens of thousands rally alongside a growing online petition to demand the return of Molly the magpie to the Queensland family she was taken from, igniting a debate over wildlife laws and the complexities of human-animal relationships.
Tens of thousands of Australians have rallied in support of a petition demanding the return of an Instagram-famous magpie, Molly, to the Queensland family from whom she was removed. Molly, who became a social media sensation thanks to her heartwarming friendship with a Staffordshire bull terrier named Peggy, was taken away from Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen, the couple who rescued her in 2020. Molly’s story, which has attracted over 729,000 followers on Instagram and inspired a book comparing her to Winnie the Pooh and Piglet, took a turn when she was confiscated by authorities on March 1, following complaints about her being kept illegally.
The Department of Science and Innovation intervened, asserting that Molly had been unlawfully removed from the wild and that her interaction with domestic animals was inappropriate. Despite these claims, nearly 70,000 people have signed an online petition urging wildlife officials to reconsider and allow Molly to be returned to Wells, Mortensen, and Peggy. The debate over Molly’s situation has reached as high as Queensland’s premier, who has expressed support for finding a way to reunite Molly with her previous caregivers.
The issue at stake revolves around Molly’s future, as her time spent with humans may prevent her release back into the wild. The ongoing discussions focus on her welfare and whether she should continue living with her former family or be moved to a state facility, taking into consideration the laws regarding wildlife conservation and the complexities of human-animal bonds.
