Busan city says shark remains in good health; water temperature in canal currently at 22 C

Visitors top 1.5 million; shark may leave on its own if temperature drops below 18 C

A blacktip shark known as "Bukang-i" swims through the artificial canal at North Port Waterfront Park in Busan on Saturday, marking 30 days since the shark first entered the waterway. [Yonhap]
A blacktip shark known as "Bukang-i" swims through the artificial canal at North Port Waterfront Park in Busan on Saturday, marking 30 days since the shark first entered the waterway. [Yonhap]

A shark that has become one of Busan's most unlikely attractions marked one month Sunday since entering the artificial canal at North Port Waterfront Park. City officials say the animal, nicknamed "Bukang-i," remains in good health, but authorities are keeping a close eye on its condition as falling autumn temperatures cool the water.

According to the city of Busan, Bukang-i was still in the canal Sunday, showing no sign of leaving. The roughly 3-meter shark was first spotted in the canal — which connects directly to the sea — on Sept. 18.

When the shark appeared in the popular public waterway, coast guard officers were dispatched to drive it out, but the animal refused to leave.

The day after it was first spotted, crowds began flocking to see the large shark in person, quickly turning it into a local sensation. It was given the name Bukang-i — a play on "Busan" and the Korean word for shark.

Coast guard crews made two attempts to herd the shark back to sea using water pumps and a specially made large net, but both failed. During the second operation on Oct. 2, they managed to push Bukang-i to within 100 meters of the canal exit — only for the shark to clear the net and return the following day.

Authorities have since suspended removal efforts and are monitoring the shark's condition while waiting for it to return to the sea on its own. Based on its swimming behavior, officials believe Bukang-i is not showing any significant signs of distress.

A scrape-like wound has been found on the shark's snout, but there is no indication the injury has worsened or spread.

Ji Hwan-seong, a researcher at the National Institute of Fisheries Science, said sharks have strong regenerative abilities even when they sustain skin damage. "The wound may go through cycles of opening and healing, but we don't see it as a cause for concern at this point," he said.

Authorities are hoping that as autumn deepens and the canal's water temperature continues to drop, Bukang-i will head back to the relatively warmer open sea on its own.

The canal's water temperature has recently been measured at around 22 degrees Celsius. Experts say the blacktip shark's preferred range is between 16 and 18 degrees, and that once the temperature falls below roughly 18 degrees, conditions will likely become too uncomfortable for the shark to stay.

The extended stay has kept visitors streaming into the park. Since Bukang-i was first spotted, the waterfront park has logged more than 1.5 million cumulative visitors.


ken@heraldcorp.com