A dog and a bird struck up an unlikely friendship. Their separation angered their followers

() – “Peggy and Molly” were a couple made for the internet.

Peggy is a stocky, muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird better known for pouncing on humans during breeding season than for befriending dogs.

In the four years since their unlikely bond was posted online, the unlikely couple has attracted nearly two million followers on Instagram and Facebook.

But in an emotional video posted online Tuesday, Peggy’s owners, Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen, announced that the animals were separated.

“It breaks our hearts to make this announcement today,” Wells said. “We had to hand Molly over to DESI ––Department of Science and Innovation–– because a small group of people were constantly complaining” to the entity.

Followers on social media were quick to demand justice.

“This is a classic example of bureaucracy over common sense and humanity,” wrote one user on Instagram. “Our taxpayer-funded departments should use their resources to help the community and save abused animals, not harm them,” read the comment, which racked up more than 1,000 likes.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Science and Innovation (DESI) said in a statement that the bird had been taken “illegally” from the wild and had been kept without “any permit, license or authority.”

“Animals in rehabilitation should not be associated with domestic animals due to the possibility of them being subjected to stress and the risks of behavioral imprinting and disease transmission,” the statement added. “Wild animals must remain wild.”

Leading bird expert and behavioral ecologist Darryl Jones of Griffith University said magpies are very intelligent and social birds. He explained to that there is no doubt what should happen next: “That animal now believes that it belongs to that family… It should go back to them.”

An abandoned baby bird

Wells found Molly in a local park, apparently abandoned as a chick, according to a lengthy Facebook post.

“We were very worried because the park was an off-leash dog area in the afternoons and up to 30 dogs of all breeds ran around like crazy, we knew that this little bird wouldn’t have a chance. “So we did what any animal lover would do and made the decision to take him home and care for him.”

“During the following months we raised this magpie, taught it how to feed, how to fly, and took it outside as much as possible because our goal was to return it to the wild.”

But Molly didn’t leave, and bonded with her dog Peggy.

During the pandemic, Wells uploaded images of the animals together on social media with motivational slogans: “The days I spend with you are my favorite days” and “You are my happy place.”

The animals attracted a large following online.

T-shirts were printed, calendars were sold and an agreement was signed with one of the largest publishers in the country.

The resulting book, “Peggy and Molly,” was marketed as “heartwarming photos and simple life lessons about what it means to be a true friend and how we can all learn to be kind, humble and happy.”

But not everyone was happy with the news.

Wildlife officials feared others would follow their example of domesticating wild animals in hopes of turning a profit on the internet.

It is unclear whether Wells and Mortensen made any money from the animals. contacted the couple for comment but did not receive a response.

Wells and Mortensen are now leading an online campaign to pressure authorities to return the bird, a protected species in Australia.

They urge their followers to write to their constituency MP and the director general of the department.

“We wonder why a wild magpie can’t decide for itself where it wants to live and who it wants to spend its time with,” the couple states in their message.

In its statement, the DESI said there was no option to release the bird into the wild, as it was “very habituated to human contact.”

According to the statement, she would be admitted to a center, which could mean a long stay: magpies are known to live up to 30 years.

Griffith University’s Jones, who wrote a book about his own experience raising a magpie, said taking the chick home was “the worst thing ever.” [la pareja] I could have done.”

He said feeding birds was not uncommon in Australia – “one in two people you know is feeding a magpie somewhere” – but there was a difference between letting them wander around the garden and taking them home.

“It is not good to take animals from the wild and turn them into pets. It is not recommended, and that is why there are strict rules about it,” Jones said.

But now that Molly has become a family pet, it would be best for DESI to return her, he said.

“The authorities could say that, after reflection, and taking into account the well-being of each magpie, we have decided that the best thing we can do for it is to return it to its family.”

Bernard Ashcroft, CEO of Wildlife Rescue Australia, said the law prohibits people from keeping wild animals as pets, for good reason.

“It is not appropriate for people to keep a magpie simply because they are attracted to it. “If they don’t know what they are doing they can cause some damage,” he said.

“Each bird has different nutritional needs.”

Late Wednesday, the department issued a statement suggesting that the campaign to reunite Peggy and Molly may be gaining some traction.

“The department shares the community’s desire to ensure that Molly is cared for in the most appropriate manner in the future,” the statement said, without elaborating.