In a port city on South Korea's southeastern coast, a three-metre dusky shark that had captured the public imagination for a month was coaxed toward the open sea, only to slip back into the canal she had come to call a temporary home. Her story is small in scale but large in meaning: a wild creature drawn inshore by warming waters and plentiful fish, becoming for a while a shared affection among thousands of people who watched her from the shore. It also reflects a quieter truth about our era, in which shifting seas bring unfamiliar guests to human shorelines, and the question of how to honour
Bukangi, Busan's Celebrity Shark, Slips Back Into Canal a Day After Rescue
Fans waved goodbye to a shark who was still in the canal the next day
Mark
Why did this one shark capture so much attention?
Mimi
She stayed. A month in one canal, in a port city, with a park nearby. More than 1.6 million people have visited to see her, and Busan has adopted her as an unofficial mascot.
Mark
But the officials weren't just enjoying the attention.
Mimi
No. She appeared injured and wasn't eating, and videos show what looks like a bloodied snout. Colder water was another worry.
Luke
Careful with that, though. The injury is what appears to be visible in social media videos. The reporting doesn't give us a veterinary assessment.
Mark
So the rescue on Wednesday was the third attempt?
Mimi
Yes. Two earlier net attempts failed. Wednesday's took more than eight hours and was livestreamed. Authorities said they led her into an open harbour.
Luke
And then reports said she came back. That return comes from local media, and the claim that she broke through a barrier is described as apparent. We don't have official confirmation of how.
Mark
Why was she there at all?
Mimi
The thought is that warm water and plenty of fish drew her in.
Luke
Thought is the key word. It's a likely explanation, not an established one.
Mimi
Experts add that warming seas mean Busan may see more sharks. Thursday's relocation attempt is the next test.
Le Pouls
- A beloved three-metre dusky shark, nicknamed Bukangi, slipped back into a Busan canal a day after rescuers had guided her to open water.
- Crowds of fans who had said their farewells were left stunned, as the livestreamed rescue suddenly unravelled.
- Authorities are racing against a clock of injury, hunger and falling water temperatures, after a barrier they installed was apparently breached.
- Rescue crews are preparing a second relocation for Thursday, while experts warn that warming seas may bring more sharks to Busan.
In a port city on South Korea's southeastern coast, a three-metre dusky shark that had captured the public imagination for a month was coaxed toward the open sea, only to slip back into the canal she had come to call a temporary home. Her story is small in scale but large in meaning: a wild creature drawn inshore by warming waters and plentiful fish, becoming for a while a shared affection among thousands of people who watched her from the shore. It also reflects a quieter truth about our era, in which shifting seas bring unfamiliar guests to human shorelines, and the question of how to honour both their welfare and our attachment to them remains unresolved.
On Wednesday evening, South Korea's oceans ministry announced that Bukangi, a female dusky shark who had spent a month in a Busan canal, had been guided out into an open harbour. Hundreds of people gathered to cheer her off, and for a moment it seemed the story had reached a gentle ending.
By the next day she had swum back. Bukangi had become something like the city's unofficial mascot, drawing more than 1.6 million visitors to a park in recent weeks and lifting local tourism. Her name came from the canal where she had settled, and her presence had turned an ordinary waterway into a place of shared affection.
But the fondness carried worry. Videos showed her with what looked like a bloodied snout, and she had stopped eating. Rescue teams had spent more than eight hours steering her with nets on a third attempt, and reports now say she slipped through a barrier and returned to the canal's mouth.
Why she came inshore is not fully clear, though experts point to unusually warm water and abundant fish. As the sea warms, they say Busan may see more visitors like her. A second relocation is set for Thursday, and for now the city waits, hopeful and uneasy.
On Wednesday evening, South Korea's oceans ministry announced that a three-metre dusky shark known as Bukangi had been guided out of a canal in Busan and into an open harbour. Hundreds of fans stood by, cheering and waving goodbye. By the next day, local media were reporting that she had swum back.
The shark, a female, had been lingering for a month in a canal in the south-eastern port city. Her nickname comes from the canal itself. Her presence turned her into something close to a local celebrity, and the city has treated her as an unofficial mascot.
The crowds have been large. More than 1.6 million visitors have gone to a park in Busan in recent weeks to try to catch sight of her. Her popularity gave a welcome lift to the city's tourism.
Authorities were worried about her condition, though. She appeared to be injured and was not eating. Videos circulating on social media show her swimming in the canal with what looks like a bloodied snout. There was also concern that falling water temperatures would weaken her further.
Wednesday's operation was livestreamed. Rescue workers spent more than eight hours using a net to steer the shark gently toward open water in the harbour. It was the third attempt. Two earlier efforts to lead her out of the canal with nets had failed.
The apparent success did not last. Reports later said Bukangi had returned to the mouth of the canal, having seemingly broken through a barrier that authorities had put in place. Fans who had said their farewells were unaware she would still be there the following day.
Why she came in at all is not settled, but the working explanation is that she was drawn by unusually warm water and an abundance of fish. Experts note that the sea is getting warmer every year, and they say Busan may host more sharks in the future.
Another operation to relocate her has been scheduled for Thursday.
Citations marquantes
Experts say Busan may play host to more sharks in the future as the sea gets warmer each year.— Experts cited by BBC News
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