BETTENDORF, Iowa — Police promise to protect and serve their communities, but in this case an officer with the Bettendorf Police Department helped protect an exotic animal.
Officer Josh Hayes with the department was conducting an investigation on Sunday afternoon, March 3 when he found “an odd-looking animal outside.” It was a sugar glider.
Sugar gliders look like flying squirrels, but according to PetMD, they are in the marsupial family. The critters have pouches where females will raise their babies and have skin that stretches from their wrists to their sides that allows them to glide as they move. Sugar gliders are native to New Guinea and Australia.
The animal was shivering in the cold when Officer Hayes found it. The sugar glider was seen by a veterinarian and was left in the care of animal control.
On Monday the pet’s owner picked it up and brought it back home.
Though they’re considered exotic animals, sugar gliders can be kept as pets with the right care. PetMD says the animals are playful and curious and do best in groups or pairs. Sugar gliders are nocturnal and need large cages for their active hours where they leap and glide.
