‘We made an error’: Wrong call puts Molly the magpie’s future in doubt

Wildlife carers have won a legal bid to prove Queensland’s Environment Department made a mistake in how it handled the case of a magpie made into a social media star by a Gold Coast couple.

Facing criticism from fans of “Molly the Magpie”, and pressure from then-Labor premier Steven Miles, the department in April gave Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen a special licence allowing them to continue caring for the bird.

The magpie – who the couple initially misidentified as female – was deemed to have been too domesticated to return to the wild. Rather than order euthanasia, the department decided the bird could remain with the couple so long as they did not seek to profit from the arrangement.

But emergency wildlife carers were concerned by the precedent that set, prompting Sydney-based firm XD Law and Advocacy to seek a judicial review in the Supreme Court of Queensland.

The firm promises clients “vigorous public and political advocacy where required”. This week, it took to social media to proclaim a win on behalf of its unnamed client and an end to the “magpie farce”.

“The department was given the opportunity to show it followed the proper processes and standards in granting the carers licence, to show that it was not just giving a compliant nod to a premier who wanted photos of himself with a magpie on his head and a couple of social media influencers,” XD Law’s Jack Vaughan said in a post on X.

“They failed to show proper reasoning for the licence according to their governing legislation.”

In a statement, a spokesman for the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation said it accepted the court’s decision and had yet to determine the way forward.

“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,” the spokesman said.

On Instagram, the Peggy and Molly account run by the Gold Coast couple provided a brief update, with a video of their pets, describing it as “another bump in the road”.

Some of their 982,000 followers reacted angrily, labelling the decision “madness”, and “ridiculous and cruel”.

XD Law provided a brief statement from its client, a wildlife carer who welcomed the court’s decision.

“We are not commenting at all on what should be done with Molly,” the carer said.

“We will not be exposing our members to that violence and abuse again. We doubt Molly will live long where he is but we will leave that to the experts of TikTok and Instagram.

“In any event, we would utterly oppose Molly being euthanised or mistreated by the department or anyone else. This action was not about one Magpie – it was about reinforcing Queensland’s wildlife protection laws and the integrity of the wildlife licensing system.”

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