Government’s ‘please explain’ to Gold Coast magpie couple over animated series

Queensland’s Environment Department has asked a Gold Coast couple for a briefing on a new animated series about their dog Peggy and adopted magpie, Molly.

Peggy and Molly (along with Peggy’s puppy, Ruby) have become a social media hit, amassing 1.3 million followers on Facebook and 949,000 on Instagram.

Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen had cultivated the online following after they found Molly, a male magpie, abandoned in 2020 and nursed it back to health at their home.

An animated series featuring Peggy and Molly, the Gold Coast staffy and magpie, is in the works.Credit: Xentrix Studios

But they ran afoul of the law, which prohibited keeping wildlife as pets. Environment Department officers acted and seized Molly on March 1, leading to social media outcry that was heard as far up as Premier Steven Miles’ office.

In April, Molly was returned to the couple on the condition that they obtain proper animal care training and licences, and that they had “no ongoing commercial gain from the bird or its image”.

But in a post on the Peggy and Molly Facebook page on Thursday, an upcoming animated series, featuring characters based on Peggy, Molly, other animals and themselves, was announced.

The real Molly the magpie with Peggy the Staffy. Credit: Facebook/Peggy and Molly

“We are so excited to announce Xentrix Studios are going to bring to life a wholesome heartwarming animated series about a kind-hearted, animal-loving couple and their beautiful staffy girls, a magpie and their friends,” they wrote.

On Friday, a Department of Environment, Science and Innovation spokesperson reiterated the conditions of Molly’s return, including that the couple “not conduct activities for commercial purposes with the magpie”.

“The department has been engaging with the magpie carers to enable them to meet the terms of their specialised licence and requested a formal proposal on any planned activities,” the spokesperson said.

“The department continues to work with the carers and awaits the formal proposal.”

Comment has been sought from the couple, who have engaged Sydney-based model agent Chelsea Bonner as their manager.

“Nothing has, nor will, breach the guidelines set by the government for his care or his carers,” Bonner said.

“The magpie’s real image, photograph and the bird himself cannot make a profit. We are mindful that no images of the real magpie be included in any way other than artistic inspiration.

“My legal team has ensured complete compliance with the regulations set forth by the departments and Xentrix absolutely agree with those limitations. We are all mad animal lovers ourselves.”

Bonner described the series as a “love project for all involved” and said if it was picked up, profits would go to wildlife charities.

“That’s so far from where we are today it’s not even a thought at this point,” she said.

“[We’re] well over a year or more from that conversation, unless we get a call from a big streaming giant on the weekend offering to fund it, which would be welcome but is highly unlikely.”