The same government agency that allowed Molly the Magpie to live with a Gold Coast couple and their pet Staffies killed two native birds it removed from a Queensland wildlife refuge.
Identical twins Paula and Bridgette Powers are still grieving the loss of an eclectus parrot and an extremely rare white crow which were euthanised after being seized from their custody last year.
Officers from the Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) took the birds from Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue because the sisters did not have approval to keep them.
Paula and Bridgette say they were promised Bonnie the parrot and Luca the crow would not be euthanised but they learnt in April that both had been killed.
The sisters were only told Bonnie and Luca had been put down after it was revealed Gold Coast couple Juliette Wells and Reece Mortensen had been allowed to keep Instagram-famous Molly the Magpie in their home.
Molly, who lives with two Staffordshire terriers, had been taken from Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen in March because they did not have the appropriate permit but was returned a month later after a public outcry.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles intervened to ensure Molly could be reunited with her canine companions Peggy and Ruby, with DESI issuing Ms Wells and Mr Mortensen a conditional licence.
‘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,’ Mr Miles said ahead of that permit being issued.
A wildlife rescue volunteer has launched a legal challenge in the Queensland Supreme Court over the permit DESI granted to the couple.
The Powers sisters say they were helpless when Bonnie and Luca were removed from their care and the 50-year-olds still don’t understand why the birds had to die.
Paula and Bridgette, who always dress identically, are famous for being so similar they talk in unison and have appeared on international television programs.
For the past 24 years they have cared for sick and injured birds, particularly pelicans, and the loss of Bonnie and Luca has left them heartbroken.
The sisters’ mother Helen Powers said her daughters wept when Luca and Bonnie were taken away in July last year but until April still hoped they had found a new home.
‘The twinnies still hurt so deeply and I feel for them,’ Ms Powers told Daily Mail . ‘Because they did nothing wrong.
‘A day never goes by without thinking about Luca and Bonnie. It’s so cruel what they did to us and the birds.’
Luca, whose white feathers are due to a genetic mutation, arrived at Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue via the RSPCA after being found orphaned about five years ago.
Bonnie was dropped off by an anonymous elderly couple a year earlier and was probably a pet no longer wanted by her owners.
Luca was harassed by other birds who objected to his unorthodox light-coloured plumage, so he was kept on his own.
Ms Powers said the RSPCA told her that Luca had been listed as a ‘species management’ case, meaning the charity would try to place him somewhere such as a zoo.
‘We always thought, somebody’s going to take him,’ she said.
Luca and Bonnie were popular with visitors to the rescue centre and among the sisters’ favourite birds as they lived there happily for years.
In June 2023, during a routine compliance check by DESI, the sisters were told they needed a permit for Bonnie and that Luca was not on any ‘species management’ list.
The refuge held a specialist permit to rehabilitate and release protected animals but did not have a permit to hold a non-rehabilitation animal (the parrot).
It was also not permitted to indefinitely hold an animal for the purpose of rehabilitation (the crow).
Ms Powers said the sisters offered to get a licence for Bonnie and pay for her shelter until that happened, when they would buy her back for $900.
‘If we had known all this garbage was going on, we could have picked up the parrot and taken her home,’ she said.
Bonnie and Luca were seized a month after DESI’s first visit – after much objection from the sisters and their mother – but with a guarantee they would not be killed.
‘There were a lot of tears as they were walking out the gate,’ Ms Powers said.
‘Twinnies begged and looked them in the eye and said please do not euthanise them.
‘They said the the crow would go to another carer and the parrot would be put up for adoption. They said they will not be euthanised.’
DESI was unapologetic for removing Bonnie and Luca, insisting it had followed the regulations.
‘The department’s actions are focused on animal welfare and abiding by the law – and we make no apologies for that,’ a spokesman said at the time.
‘Not knowing the law is no excuse.’
Ms Power said she made several inquiries about what had happened to Luca and Bonnie in coming months but got no answers until April.
She said DESI told her Bonnie had been euthanised in November due to her being too fat and plucking her feathers, and Luca was put down in February because he was in poor condition and ‘it didn’t work out’.
A letter from DESI to Ms Powers seen by Daily Mail states both birds were surrendered and the decision to kill them was not taken lightly.
Ms Power insisted she had fought hard to keep Luca and Bonnie and both birds were likely stressed by their surroundings.
‘They had no right to euthanise those birds,’ Ms Powers said. ‘It should not have happened the way that it did.
‘The laws are wrong. Two birds lost their lives all because of a stuff-up with paperwork. It’ll haunt the twinnies for the rest of their days.’
Ms Power compared the fates of Bonnie and Luca with that of Molly, who DESI allowed to live with Ms Wells, Mr Mortensen and their dogs.
‘As far as the Molly saga goes, why didn’t Steven Miles stick his neck out for us?’ she said. ‘He did it for the magpie and the dogs.’
A spokesman for DESI said the rehabilitation permit holders such as Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue had to be aware of their obligations in keeping native wildlife.
‘The ultimate goat of rehabilitating sick, injured, or displaced wildlife is to return them to the wild,’ the spokesman told Daily Mail .
‘Unfortunately, in this case expert veterinary advice was to humanely euthanise both birds.
‘We respect and appreciate the efforts of all rehabilitation permit holders, and we work closely with them to ensure they are in full compliance with the legislation and the conditions of their permits.’
Mr Miles – who is facing an election on October 26 – has not responded to requests for comment.
The Powers twins now have a statue of a crow painted white at Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue.