Fighting for Sharks in Captivity: An Update on the Journey of Toothless and Carlos

Last November, AEL Advocacy launched a campaign to save Toothless, a 9-10 year old whitetip reef shark who has spent the majority of his life confined alone in an small tank at an aquarium store in Ottawa.

Our concern for Toothless’ welfare prompted a formal complaint to Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS), citing serious concerns under Ontario’s Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019 (PAWS Act). At the same time, we rallied public support through a petition that has now gathered over 1,300 signatures — a clear message that Canadians care about the wellbeing of aquatic animals.

When we last shared an update, the franchise committed to rehoming all sharks in their stores and pledged to stop acquiring large predatory species going forward.

Since then, we’ve been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that Toothless and Carlos, a blacktip reef shark housed at the Mississauga location, are moved to more appropriate environments. Both continue to live in confined, isolated conditions, but progress is being made.

Toothless: Closer Than Ever to a New Home

Earlier this year, after exhausting all Canadian options, we were thrilled to have found a suitable facility in the United States that could provide Toothless with a proper home. Sadly, after relocation permit applications were underway, that facility backed out at the last minute.

Undeterred, we reached out to over 50 facilities across the U.S., and our persistence paid off. We have now secured another facility willing to welcome Toothless, offering a 200,000-gallon habitat—a dramatic improvement over his current 1,500-gallon tank.

We’ve also been informed that the required CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species)  permit has been obtained. The final step before relocation can proceed is for the receiving facility to obtain a Port Exemption Permit, which we understand takes 14–60 days to process. Once issued, we can finally schedule Toothless’ move to his new home––hopefully early in the New Year.

Carlos: A Canadian Placement on the Horizon

Carlos, currently in Mississauga, is also on the path to a permanent home. A Canadian facility has agreed to welcome him, and the Big Al's franchisor is managing the placement, drawing on their prior experience successfully rehoming a shark in Canada last year.

We expect to have a confirmed relocation date soon, and AEL Advocacy will continue to monitor this process closely, providing updates as soon as details are finalized.

Continuing Collaboration and Commitment

Throughout this process, we’ve continued working collaboratively with the franchisor to ensure both Toothless and Carlos are rehomed safely and responsibly. These efforts have been extensive and ongoing, and we remain deeply committed to seeing both sharks transitioned to more suitable environments.

While AEL Advocacy continues to advocate for the eventual end of marine animal captivity, we recognize that working with existing aquarium facilities is currently the most compassionate and realistic path toward a better life for Toothless and Carlos.

We will share further updates as plans solidify, but please know this: we haven’t given up — and we won’t — until both sharks are safely rehomed.

Thank you to those who have followed this journey. Your support has made this progress possible.