Australian authorities on Monday issued a licence allowing a magpie called Molly to reunite with a pet dog, after sparking public outrage by keeping the unlikely friends apart. A Queensland couple’s pictures of the bird cozying up with their Staffordshire bull terrier Peggy drew an audience of hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram. But the Gold Coast couple, who took the magpie in as a nestling in 2020, had to surrender the bird more than six weeks ago. Under state law, magpies and other protected wildlife can only be cared for by people with a licence to show they have the needed skills. The couple’s Instagram page was deluged with outraged reactions to the separation, and an online petition garnered over 1,50,000 signatures. The couple, Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen, were issued “specialised licence” after they agreed to undergo wildlife carer training and make no commercial gain.

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