On July 30, 2018, two robbers abducted a female grey horn shark named Miss Helen and transported her to their house. The thieves kept the shark alive and it was luckily rescued by San Antonio police officers and returned alive and well to the aquarium. Following the shark abduction, a public petition of more than 17,000 (61,000 as of January 2020) signatories requested the aquarium to close its touch pool containing a variety of aquatic animals. The petition cited the dangers of touch pools can have on the animals, namely due to the stress and potential injury inflicted by aquarium guests.
