In late September, a female dusky shark strayed into a shallow concrete canal beside Busan's great harbour, and for a few weeks a wild animal that had lost its way became a shared civic event. Her presence drew more than a million and a half people to a forgotten waterfront park, a reminder of how easily a creature from the open sea can hold a crowd's attention. Rescuers ultimately guided her back toward deeper water, yet the episode also hints at a changing ocean, where warming currents may bring large sharks ever closer to human shores.
Bukangi, the Stranded Dusky Shark That Captivated Busan, Faces the Test of Finding Her Way Back to Sea
A wild animal cannot stay in a space made strictly for humans.
Mark
Why did a shark in a canal become such a big deal?
Mimi
Partly the alert. The council texted everyone in the city within hours, and a park nobody visited filled up. Then the name, the merchandise, the livestream. It snowballed.
Mark
And 1.6 million visitors is the number being cited?
Luke
Yes, but it's the reported total, and the source doesn't say how it was counted. I'd treat it as an official figure, not an audited one.
Mark
What went wrong with the rescues?
Mimi
The deterrent failed after five hours, the water jets didn't work, and she swam around the first net. Then she got trapped between two layers.
Mark
Why does she keep coming back?
Luke
Nobody knows. Kim's idea about her snout's sensors or ship noise is a suspicion, not a finding.
Mark
And the warming seas link?
Luke
That's the oceans ministry's suggestion, framed as a belief. The rise to about 50 large sharks is recorded, but the cause isn't established.
Mark
So is she safe?
Mimi
Unclear. No sightings is a hopeful sign, per Professor Choi, but he's worried about her injuries and says she could reappear this week.
The Pulse
- A large shark appeared in a city canal beside one of the world's busiest ports, and the coastguard had to act quickly.
- An emergency text sent to all of Busan turned a quiet park into a crowd, and the shark quickly became a branded mascot.
- Electric deterrents, water jets, and nets all failed as she repeatedly circled back, scraping her snout against the walls.
- Officials mobilised around forty personnel, and divers finally herded her seaward, though one net trap nearly held her.
- She now swims toward deeper water, out of sight for several days, while experts watch for injuries and a possible return before the cold sets in.
In late September, a female dusky shark strayed into a shallow concrete canal beside Busan's great harbour, and for a few weeks a wild animal that had lost its way became a shared civic event. Her presence drew more than a million and a half people to a forgotten waterfront park, a reminder of how easily a creature from the open sea can hold a crowd's attention. Rescuers ultimately guided her back toward deeper water, yet the episode also hints at a changing ocean, where warming currents may bring large sharks ever closer to human shores.
In mid-September, marine biologist Kim Hyun-woo was heading home from a fishing survey when the coastguard called him to a shallow concrete canal in Busan. A large female dusky shark had swum into the city's waterfront, beside one of the busiest ports in the world. Kim, one of South Korea's leading shark experts, had never expected to be asked to rescue one, and his first concern was the safety of the growing crowd, any member of which might fall or jump in.
The city soon went into a kind of collective fever. An emergency alert urged residents to take care, and people flocked to a park that had rarely been visited before. Fans nicknamed her Bukangi, and within days she was on T-shirts, plushies and livestreams, and even the city's official mascot. Over 1.6 million visitors came to see her. Children were given the best view, and volunteers kept watch at night to stop people shining lights at her.
The rescue, however, proved difficult. An electric deterrent failed, a net was tried and she swam around it, and water jets only brought her back. By late September she had stopped feeding and had bloody abrasions on her snout, and experts feared for an injury near her eye. Kim wondered whether her sensors had been confused by the harbour's noise.
As the crowds grew more divided, with some wanting her left alone and others urging her release, the oceans ministry took charge with divers, a vet and an ambulance on standby. After a setback when she slipped under the outer net, rescuers removed a layer and she swam steadily out to sea. There have been no sightings for several days, which experts read as encouraging, though Choi Yoon remains concerned about her injuries and the possibility she may return before winter.
In mid-September, marine biologist Kim Hyun-woo was on his way home from a business trip tracking mackerel shoals for fishing vessels when the coastguard called. A large shark had turned up in a shallow concrete canal in Busan, the shipping hub and beach city on South Korea's south-eastern tip. Kim is one of the country's leading shark experts, yet he had never expected to be asked to rescue one.
A shark of that size in a canal beside the world's seventh busiest port was unheard of. A crowd was already gathering on the waterfront when Kim's team from the National Institute of Fisheries Science arrived. The first job was to identify the animal. It proved to be a female dusky shark, a species linked to only two fatal attacks. Kim still worried that someone in the crowd might jump or fall in, so she had to be returned to the sea.
A small coastguard ship first tried an electrical deterrent, which gives off a weak current that sharks avoid and is normally used after sightings near popular beaches. After five hours, officials concluded she was too large and too fast for it. Kim then decided to wait for her to leave on her own. She did not.
Meanwhile she had gone viral. Within hours of her appearance, the city council sent an emergency text alert to everyone in Busan urging pedestrians and residents to "exercise caution for their safety". The park along the canal was rarely visited, but the message filled it with people hoping for a glimpse. Fans named her Bukangi, after "buk hang", the Korean name of the nearby harbour. Within days a business had trademarked the name, and pins, plushies and T-shirts were on sale online. City authorities livestreamed her and made her their official mascot. A banner at the canal entrance asked the public to sign a petition "on behalf of Bukangi" urging the national government to back a new 30,000-seat baseball stadium beside the canal.
Spotting her became a communal effort. Children were given the front row, and anyone who saw her pointed her out to new arrivals. Some self-appointed guardians patrolled at night to stop anyone shining torches or lasers at her. In all, more than 1.6 million visitors came. The mayor said she brought "the kind of publicity even billions of dollars cannot buy". Kim Joo-eun, who came with her two nieces, said it was rare for people to come together these days and that Bukangi had done it.
By the end of September, though, she had not been seen feeding for days and had bloody abrasions on her snout from hitting the concrete walls. Marine biology professor Choi Yoon told local media experts were especially worried about a "critical" injury near her eye. Kim's team tried water jets, a method borrowed from a 2004 episode in Massachusetts when a great white was driven out of a shallow pond, but Bukangi kept circling back. On 2 October they strung a net across the canal's width. She swam around it and returned within hours. Kim began to suspect problems with the electromagnetic sensors in her snout, which she uses to navigate, or confusion from the noise of ships in the harbour.
The oceans ministry suggests warming seas may explain her presence, proposing that she followed plentiful fish into warmer waters. Around 50 large sharks were recorded off South Korea's east coast in the first half of the year, four times as many as the year before.
With each failure, some fans demanded she be left alone. On Thursday several arrived with placards shouting "leave Bukangi alone" and "remove the net"; one man cried out, "I love you, Bukangi!" Jeong Yo-won, in her 40s, called her a "source of hope and joy". Others wanted her gone for her own sake. Shin Seungmin said she should "go and live her normal shark life". Kim warned that falling autumn temperatures made staying dangerous and said: "A wild animal cannot stay in a space made strictly for humans."
As scrutiny grew, the oceans ministry took over, mobilising about 40 personnel including divers from Busan's aquarium, with a vet and an ambulance on standby. On Wednesday divers laid two layers of net and herded her into open water, but overnight she dived under the outer net and returned, trapped between the layers. On Thursday rescuers removed the outer layer and she swam steadily seaward, occasionally circling back, and the operation ended.
There have been no sightings for several days, which experts read as a good sign. Choi thinks she may be adjusting to deeper water, probably not far away, and could reappear within the week. He remains worried about injuries from scraping her snout and pectoral fins on the walls.
Notable Quotes
A wild animal cannot stay in a space made strictly for humans.— Kim Hyun-woo, marine biologist
The shark brought the kind of publicity even billions of dollars cannot buy.— Busan's mayor
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