By the time a sugar glider named Mango entered an animal sanctuary in the Netherlands in 2023, life as a pet had taken a terrible toll. Mango lost both his brothers and his right eye due to health issues, despite being kept by a veterinarian for seven years.
These days, Europeans keep tens of millions of exotic pets — as do people in other countries around the world. Although beloved by their owners, experts say most of these animals, like Mango, do not adapt well to life in captivity and often face health problems and premature death as a result of this legal trade.
Globally, the business involves an estimated 13,000 species, many unsuited to being companion animals, says Michèle Hamers, EU policy officer at the nonprofit AAP Animal Advocacy and Protection. The organization runs the sanctuary where 9-year-old Mango lived — alongside fellow sugar gliders Radagast, Didache, Duizeltje, and Sushi — until his sudden death on July 21, likely from a hematoma.
“Something needs to change,” says Hamers.
For her organization, that change would involve the introduction of an EU-wide “positive list” for exotic pets — a limited inventory of approved pet species suited to captivity.
They’re not the only ones asking for this. In recent years, momentum has grown toward making this a reality.
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Image of sugar glider Mango via AAP Animal Advocacy and Protection
