Molly the magpie reunited with dog best friend after public outcry

globalnews.ca:

An Instagram-famous magpie and dog duo have been reunited, after their separation became the subject of an Australian scandal.

Molly the magpie is home with his four-legged best friend, Peggy, after wildlife authorities in Australia decided to return the bird to a couple that had been, up until recently, illegally caring for him.

The Queensland Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (Desi) granted a special licence to Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen to care for the bird. The agency held Molly for six weeks after the Gold Coast couple say they were pressured to surrender him.

But Molly’s internet fans proved to be a force to be reckoned with, and the issue of Molly and Peggy’s separation reached international news sites and landed on the desk of the Queensland premier. A petition for Molly and Peggy to be reunited garnered more than 155,000 signatures.

On Monday, Wells and Reece announced that Molly was home again on the “Peggy and Molly” Instagram account — a page that documents the unlikely friendship between the wild Australian magpie they rescued as a chick in 2020, and Peggy, their English Staffordshire terrier.

The couple’s videos show the pair of inter-species besties playing together outside and napping with each other. One video even shows Molly imitating the sound of a dog barking. The couple say Molly also has a strong bond with Peggy’s daughter Ruby, and was there when Peggy gave birth.

A post shared by Peggyandmolly (@peggyandmolly)

In the post announcing Molly’s return, Wells and Mortensen write that they are “overwhelmed with emotion.”

The couple picked up Molly at a Desi office, and they write that the bird let out “a little cry of happiness.”

When they arrived home with the magpie, Peggy