The headquarters of CBL and Associates is located next to Hamilton Place Mall in East Brainerd.

Animal rights group PETA said today it plans to confront shareholders of CBL & Associates Properties Inc. over the company's permitting the sale of exotic animals in its malls.

PETA said the company lets a business known as Pocket Pets set up kiosks in its malls which sell sugar gliders, a small tree-dwelling marsupial.

The group also complained about CBL allowing animal circuses to perform on its properties:

"PETA is calling on CBL to stop hosting businesses that cause animal suffering, and that includes circuses that beat animals as well as the irresponsible exotic-animal peddlers," said PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders in a statement.

PETA said it would ask questions at the company's annual meeting Monday at the Embassy Suites in Chattanooga.

See more in Saturday's Times Free Press.