Authorities in Australia have said they are willing to help Molly the Magpie return to a family who found her - including her dog best friend - under certain conditions.
The Australian magpie was found by Gold Coast couple Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen after falling from a nest.
The couple took the magpie, which resembles a European magpie but is not actually related to them, home.
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There, Molly became an internet sensation after befriending the couple's Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Peggy, as well as the dog's daughter named Ruby.
Queensland authorities soon took Molly away from the couple, however, as they were not trained to rehabilitate wild animals.
Australia has very strict laws on the handling and treatment of its unique wildlife.
These include requiring training to rehabilitate injured animals in such a way that they don't become dependant on humans and can be released back into the wild.
Now, authorities in Queensland have indicated that they are willing to help Molly the Magpie return to the family if it can be done legally.
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Steven Miles of the Queensland environment department said that they were willing to help Wells and Mortensen train to become wildlife handlers.
He said: “The environment department stands ready to train Molly’s parents to be wildlife carers, to get that certification, so Molly can be reunited with the family.
“What I’m most interested in here is what’s in the best interests of that animal, and if the department can work with the family to reunite them in a way that is legal, I would support that.”
While many people have demanded that Molly be returned to the family and her four-legged best friend, other trained wildlife handlers have said this should not be allowed.
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They explained that allowing one family to keep an animal without proper training would undermine the law which is there to protect wildlife.
One said: “There has to be a line. DES should have moved way earlier. At the end of the day, if one person is allowed to do this, what’s stopping every other Tom, Dick and Harry keeping a pet magpie, a joey or having a kangaroo hopping around in their backyard.
“We have laws we have to follow as carers, where even carers are not allowed to keep an animal automatically.”
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People calling for the law to be upheld said that they have received abuse online including death threats over their views, according to 7news.
According to the rules around wildlife, an animal that is sick or injured must be taken to someone with the proper training to be rehabilitated.
If not done properly then an animal can become too dependant on humans, meaning that it cannot be released back into the wild.
Topics: News, Australia, World News, Animals