Molly the magpie permit terminated by Supreme Court after ‘mistake’ exposed

The legend of Molly the Magpie has actually taken a fresh spin after the Department of Environment exposed it made an “error” in releasing a permit that promoted the bird’s go back to the Gold Coast pair that were taking care of it.

Following the admission, the Queensland Supreme Court on Monday terminated the Specialised Licence released to Reece Mortensen, that together with his companion Juliette Wells, had actually photographed the bird with their animal canines Peggy and Ruby and transformed them right into social-media stars.

“In trying to protect the welfare of the bird — which has always been our highest priority — we made an error, and we are currently considering next steps,” a speaker for the Department of Environment (DETSI) claimed in a declaration after the court choice on Monday.

The issue in court did not straight include Wells or her companionMortensen It was in between the Department and a confidential celebration whose name has actually been kept.

Court activity ‘regarding greater than Molly the magpie’

Following the court’s choice, the candidate that tackled the Department claimed their primary top priority was guaranteeing that Molly the Magpie was not euthanised which it was positioned with various other birds.

“This action was not about one Magpie — it was about reinforcing Queensland’s wildlife protection laws and the integrity of the wildlife licensing system. I am grateful to the Supreme Court and so proud of all the wildlife carers that stood up for the law when the Department and the former Premier failed to do so,” they claimed in a declaration.

Their legal representative, XD’s Jack Vaughan informed Yahoo News “the matter was really about a government which was attempting to force its environmental laws to bend to its political whims”.

“We say that’s not appropriate, particularly in the context of wildlife protection legislation, which is such an important issue and has so few people that speak up in respect of it,” Vaughan said.

Vet report suggests Molly had medical problems

The Insta-famous bird became the centre of an international debate after it was surrendered to authorities following allegations it was being kept without a permit. After an assessment by a vet, the Department concluded the bird could not be released back into the wild and it had been “highly habituated to human contact”.

An main clinical analysis finished by a veterinarian on March 5, seen by Yahoo News identified Molly “seemed reluctant to fly”, however when pushed he might fly brief ranges of as much as 2 metres, although he might not obtain any type of considerable elevation.

“Whilst set down the bird periodically lugged both fly a less than regular placement,” it said.

The report also noted signs of “radiographic changes to several bones on both wings” which could relate to an “inappropriate diet as a juvenile bird”.

“Given the practices displayed by the bird and the radiographic modifications that appeared, attempted launch of this bird back right into the wild would certainly not be taken into consideration suitable based on the Code of Practice,” it said.

Wells spoke with Yahoo in March, saying she and Mortensen took the bird home in 2020 after they concluded it had been abandoned. “We don’t ‘care’ for him in the way people have cockatoos or parrots in cages. Once he was well enough we taught him how to forage for food in the garden, we taught him to fly and be independent,” Wells claimed.

After their Peggy and Molly social media pages became a hit, the pair began selling merchandise featuring the duo, and they secured a book deal with Penguin Random House. Following the return of Molly, the couple agreed to no longer monetise the bird or its image.

Molly the magpie manager awaits next step

The bird was returned to the Queensland couple after an extraordinary intervention by then Premier Steven Miles, who called for a “common sense” solution to the saga. He then posed for several photos with Molly on social media.

Wildlife rescuers who advocated for the bird’s surrender fell victim to a torrent of online abuse from fans of the Peggy and Molly accounts, leading to a call for calm from Mortensen, Wells and the then Environment Minister. After the return of Molly, wildlife rescuers reported a spike in magpies being captured without licences by people who wanted to keep them as pets.

Following news of the Supreme Court decision, the couple’s manager Chelsea Bonner called the matter a “ridiculous waste of Australians’ time and money”.

“I guess we will have to await those (next) steps to know what the outcome for Molly will be in this case,” she added.

Bonner owns the rights to the Peggy and Molly name and is developing an animation about the pair.

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