A shark nicknamed "Bukang-i" that has captivated Busan has now spent a month in an artificial canal at the Bukhang Waterfront Park. A wound has been found on its right fin, but experts say the animal is in no danger.
Busan city officials and other authorities said on the 18th that the shark remained in the park canal, marking exactly one month since it was first spotted there. The 3-meter dusky shark was first found on Sept. 18 in the canal, which connects to the sea.
After the shark appeared in a canal running through a park frequented by large numbers of residents, the coast guard moved in to drive the animal out but failed to make it leave. From the following day, crowds flocked to see the large shark in person, turning it into a local attraction and earning it the name Bukang-i.
The coast guard twice tried to push the shark back out to sea using water pumps and a specially made large net, without success. In the second attempt, crews managed to drive it to within 100 meters of the canal exit, but the shark crossed the net and returned to the inner section the very next day. Authorities have since halted the operation and are monitoring the shark's condition while waiting for it to swim back to the sea on its own.
According to Yonhap News, footage filmed by residents on the 18th showed that the tip of the shark's right fin had turned white and was partly damaged. One resident said, "It looks like the fin split because Bukang-i was swimming too close to the right wall."
The National Institute of Fisheries Science, which has been monitoring the shark, also confirmed the injury through a researcher at the site that day. The institute concluded that the tip of the fin was partly damaged by friction as the shark swam with its body pressed close to the canal wall. No bleeding has been observed, and officials do not believe the wound is severe enough to affect the shark's health. There are also no signs that the injury has worsened or spread.
"Sharks have strong recovery capacity even when they suffer things like skin damage," said Ji Hwan-seong, a researcher at the National Institute of Fisheries Science. "Wounds can open and heal repeatedly, and we do not see this as a situation to worry about yet."
Authorities hope the shark will head out to the relatively warmer sea on its own once water temperatures in the artificial canal drop as autumn sets in. The canal's water temperature was recently measured at about 22 degrees Celsius. Experts believe the shark will struggle to stay if the temperature falls below roughly 18 degrees.
As the shark's stay stretches on, visitors have continued to stream into the waterfront park. Cumulative visits to the park have topped 1.5 million since the shark was first spotted.