In November 2024, AEL Advocacy launched a campaign calling for the release of Toothless — a Whitetip Reef Shark held alone in an 8-foot tank at Big Al’s Aquarium Ottawa for years. We filed a complaint with Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) and gathered over 1,000 petition signatures demanding Toothless’s relocation and an end to Big Al’s practice of keeping sharks in captivity.

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Following our outreach, Big Al’s committed to rehoming all sharks from its corporate locations and pledged to stop acquiring large predatory marine species. One shark from their Mississauga store has since been re-homed to Granby Zoo, while efforts continue to find Toothless and Carlos (originally homed in Scarborough and now relocated to Mississauga) a suitable permanent home.

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Thank you to everyone who signed the petition to speak up for these sharks — your voice helped us ensure future sharks will not end up in the same position as Toothless and Carlos.

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Read our latest update here.