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There is something uniquely heartwarming about interspecies friendships. Maybe it's seeing the different animals play, adapting their moves to not hurt their pal; or the way they cuddle together, spotlighting their wildly different sizes in a cute way. The bond between Peggy and Molly, a bull terrier and an Australian bird known as a magpie, is a great example of both. Sadly, after a four-year friendship, Molly was taken away. Hoping to bring her home, her human family has launched an online campaign.
Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen are an Australian couple who, after spotting Molly as an abandoned chick in distress, decided to bring the bird home and nurse her back to health. “We were very concerned because the park was an off-leash dog park in the afternoons and up to 30 dogs of all breeds run around crazily we knew this little bird would not stand a chance,” they wrote on Facebook. “So, we did what any animal lovers would do and made the decision to bring him home and care for him.”
While they aimed for the bird to eventually fly away, Molly took a liking to Peggy, the family dog, and never left. And so, at the height of the pandemic, a friendship blossomed between the two. Moved by their sweet bond, Wells and Mortensen documented Peggy and Molly's interactions on Instagram. Their videos show the animals chasing one another, taking naps together, sharing toys, and smooching—with Molly occasionally taking rides on Peggy's back.
This all came to a pause when Wells and Mortensen were asked to surrender Molly to the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI). Since magpies are a protected wild species in Australia, the family was accused of “illegally” taking the bird from its environment and keeping it with “no permit, licence or authority.” Officials were also worried that others would follow their lead of domesticating wild animals with the hopes of turning a profit, as the family had signed a book deal with one of Australia's biggest publishers, among other endeavors.
DESI has stated that there's no option to release the bird to the wild. Since it has become “highly habituated to human contact,” the best course of action was for it to be placed in a facility for the rest of its life. This has enraged Molly and Peggy's followers, and worried bird lovers.
“It’s not a good thing to take animals from the wild and turn them into pets. It’s not something to be recommended, and that’s why there are strong rules about that sort of thing,” ecologist Darryl Jones told CNN. Still, many argue that the best course of action for Molly would be for it to come home. “The authorities could say on reflection, with the welfare of the individual magpie in mind, we have decided that the best thing to do for that magpie is to return it to the family,” Jones added.
As of writing, the family has no knowledge about Molly's whereabouts. Hoping to nudge officials into returning the bird, they launched a Change.org campaign that has garnered over 135,000 signatures. To stay up to date with any developments and revisit some of the sweetest moments of their friendship, you can follow Peggy and Molly on Instagram.
The bond between Peggy and Molly, a bull terrier and a magpie, is a great example of a sweet interspaces friendship.
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Peggy's human family nursed Molly back to health after finding the bird in a park.
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Molly took a liking to Peggy, the family dog, and never left.
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Wells and Mortensen documented Peggy and Molly's interactions, including them chasing one another, taking naps together, sharing toys, and smooching. The magpie can also be seen occasionally taking rides on the dog’s back.
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Sadly, Molly was recently taken away by Australian officials, as it is considered a wild animal and the family was keeping it with “no permit, licence, or authority.”
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Hoping to bring Molly home, Peggy's family has launched an online campaign that has garnered over 135,000 signatures.
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Peggy and Molly: Website | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [CNN]
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