Shark Guided Out of Busan Canal After Third Rescue Attempt

South Korean officials have guided a shark out of a canal in Busan after two unsuccessful attempts, according to Associated Press reporting carried by ABC News and an AFP account published by France 24.

The operation took place on Wednesday, 21 October, amid concerns about the animal’s health and falling water temperatures. BBC News also reported that a third attempt had been made to return the shark to the open sea.

Associated Press identified the animal as a female dusky shark measuring about three metres. Officials used a floating platform to move it gradually along the canal, where it had been trapped for more than a month.

Workers stood on the platform and used oars to turn the shark back when it approached, Associated Press reported. Dozens of others pulled ropes from both banks to draw the structure forward while hundreds of people watched.

According to Associated Press, the platform travelled about a kilometre towards the canal’s mouth. Workers installed additional netting to prevent the shark from returning. Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo said the animal paused near the entrance before eventually swimming to sea.

France 24’s AFP account similarly described nets attached to floating pontoons that were moved gradually towards the sea. It quoted the oceans ministry saying the shark had reached the southern entrance of North Port Waterfront Park, where a barrier blocked its return.

The ministry said the animal was swimming outside the artificial channel in deeper water, making it less vulnerable to temperature changes and less likely to become trapped, according to France 24.

Its movements beyond the canal remained uncertain. Associated Press reported that South Korea’s Yonhap news agency had seen the shark near a nearby pier and that it was not immediately clear how far it had travelled into open water.

The shark was first spotted in mid-September, according to Associated Press. As it circled the canal, it became a visitor attraction and was adopted as a city mascot. Busan officials said more than 1.7 million people had visited the waterway.

The accounts used different spellings for its nickname: Associated Press called it Bukangi, after the Korean name for Busan’s North Port, while France 24 used Bukhangi.

Their size descriptions also differed. BBC News gave its length as three metres, broadly matching Associated Press, while a photograph caption accompanying France 24’s account described a 3.5-metre shark.

Associated Press dated the earlier rescue attempts to 29 September and 2 October. Those efforts used boats spraying water and nets across the canal, but the shark avoided the boats and swam over the barriers. France 24 also described unsuccessful attempts involving water jets and nets.

Both Associated Press and France 24 reported that experts were concerned because the shark had not been seen feeding. France 24 additionally quoted an oceans ministry official saying it appeared to have difficulty maintaining its balance while swimming.

Authorities had initially waited for the animal to leave independently, but concerns about its condition prompted the latest intervention, France 24 reported. The city livestreamed the operation.

The shark’s appearance also prompted contrasting reactions. Associated Press reported its popularity with visitors, while France 24 described the mayor welcoming the publicity it generated. Environmental groups instead linked its arrival to warming seas and urged that it be treated as a climate warning.

France 24 quoted Pukyong National University fisheries professor Kim Jin-koo saying shark visits to South Korean waters were uncommon and that warmer coastal temperatures appeared to have drawn the animal closer.

Sources

• BBC News: Huge crowds watch attempt to save shark stranded in South Korean canal
• South Korean officials free a shark trapped for a month in Busan canal
• South Korea guides crowd-pulling shark out of canal