Sharks don’t just appear in stores as fins, meat or souvenirs. Shark snacks for dogs and cats are now also growing in Thailand: dried shark, shark cartilage and chews that are advertised as high quality, natural or good for teeth, bones and joints. It is precisely this market that is now the focus of a new report from WildAid and Ocean Blue Tree.
The WildAid post summarizes a study that combines DNA-Barcoding, pollutant analyses, online market research and surveys among animal owners and sellers. The work is based on findings in Biological Conservation were published. This is inconvenient for shark protection because a seemingly harmless pet trend brings together several problems: endangered species, lack of traceability and possible risks for the animals that the snacks are actually supposed to benefit.
A growing market on major platforms
Between 2023 and 2025, WildAid and King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang researchers monitored five important Thai e-commerce platforms: Facebook, Lazada, LINE Shop, Shopee and TikTok Shop. They found more than 140 online suppliers and over ten different types of shark-based treats for dogs and cats.
The products are not hidden, but are often explicitly marketed as shark. This is precisely what makes the case different from previous studies on shark content in animal feed, in which sharks often disappeared behind general terms such as fish or marine fish. In Thailand, the shark is sometimes a premium promise: lots of protein, lots of calcium, supposedly natural and good for teeth or joints.
For many pet owners, this sounds plausible. In a survey of 419 respondents, 80 percent had heard of dental snacks containing shark ingredients, and 71 percent were interested in purchasing them. The most important reasons they cited were supposedly useful nutrients, recommendations from other people or the desire to do something good for their own animal.
DNA shows which species end up in the snack
The researchers analyzed 150 shark cartilage samples and 60 whole dried sharks from online shops and stationary stores. Of the cartilage samples, 91 percent could be identified down to the species level. A total of eight shark species appeared in the samples.
The most common were brown-banded bamboo sharks (Chiloscyllium punctatum) and Carcharhinus coatesi, each with 31.6 percent of the identifiable cartilage samples. This was followed by the spotted tooth shark (Carcharhinus sorrah) with 27.2 percent. Five of the eight identified species are considered endangered according to the Thai Red List.
When it came to the 60 whole dried sharks, the picture was even clearer: all the samples belonged Scoliodon macrorhynchos, a species listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN list, considered Vulnerable in Thailand and regulated under CITES Appendix II. Overall, 67.7 percent of the products examined came from species whose international trade falls under CITES controls.
Nevertheless, none of the products examined had species-specific labeling. This leaves consumers unclear as to which species is being purchased, whether it is threatened and whether catch, export or resale has been properly documented. It is precisely this gap that makes control difficult for authorities and platforms.
Not just a conservation issue
WildAid emphasizes that the products can also be sensitive from an animal health perspective. In tests of 50 cartilage and 12 whole shark samples, arsenic and mercury were found in all whole dried shark samples. Half of these samples had arsenic levels above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Maximum Tolerable Level.
Additionally, calcium and sodium levels were examined. Shark cartilage contained calcium concentrations above the maximum nutritional limit for dry dog food. In the short term, this does not have to be immediately dangerous, but it does not offer any proven additional benefit and, if consumed over a long period of time, it can lead to problems such as hypercalcemia or kidney and bladder stones.
The evidence for sodium was even clearer: the values were around four times higher than the recommended level for dry food for dogs and cats. For animals with kidney problems, high blood pressure or heart disease, regular consumption of such high-salt snacks can be particularly unfavorable.
Information could shift demand
At the same time, the surveys show that the market is not unchanging. 86.5 percent of pet owners surveyed said that possible negative health consequences would deter them from purchasing. Pollutants, a lack of clear benefits and the knowledge that sharks are actually being used also acted as strong counterarguments.
There was also a knowledge gap among the salespeople. Many had learned about the products through sales representatives, were unsure about the origins of the sharks or thought the parts were by-products of the fin industry. Half had never heard of CITES, and only a small proportion could explain the meaning of the trading rules.
WildAid and Ocean Blue Tree respond to this with the #TreatOrThreat campaign. It is intended to reach animal owners, retailers, veterinary sectors, platforms and authorities. The approach is pragmatic: better information, species-specific labeling, greater traceability and alternatives that do not rely on endangered or difficult-to-control shark species.
Why this also affects divers
At first glance, to a diving audience, the case appears far away from the reef. It’s not about a sighting, not about a dive site and not about a classic beach fishing conflict. But that is exactly where the significance lies: the pressure on sharks often arises in supply chains that are barely visible and only become tangible through DNA tests, trade data or product analyses.
A dried pet snack may face the same conservation questions as shark meat, fins, or cartilage powder: What species is it? Where does she come from? Is trading allowed? Was it used as bycatch, specifically caught or resold through an unclear chain? Without answers, the query remains anonymous, even if the product advertises shark on the front of the package.
The report from Thailand therefore highlights a simple lesson: shark protection does not end with protected areas and fishing bans. It extends to online shops, veterinary practices, product labels and purchasing decisions. Anyone who wants to experience sharks alive in the sea should also look where they end up as a supposedly useful addition to everyday consumer products.