Busan’s Celebrity Shark Keeps Returning to the Canal After Rescue

Preface

A dusky shark nicknamed Bukangi has captured public attention in Busan, South Korea, after spending about a month in a canal in the southeastern port city. Rescuers spent more than eight hours guiding the shark toward open water, while hundreds of onlookers gathered to watch and wave goodbye. Yet Bukangi soon returned to the waterway, passing through a barrier installed to keep her out. Authorities later strengthened the remaining nets and ended their rescue operations, while the shark continued swimming farther out before circling back. Her story has prompted debate among residents and visitors: some believe the canal has become her home, while others fear that staying there could put her health at risk. Bukangi’s case highlights the challenges of helping a wild animal while balancing its welfare, public concern, and changing marine conditions.

Lazy bag

Bukangi, a three-metre-long dusky shark, became a local sensation after appearing in a Busan canal. Rescuers guided her toward open water on Wednesday, but she reportedly returned the next morning after breaking through a barrier. Authorities reinforced the remaining nets and later concluded their rescue operations. The shark has attracted more than 1.6 million visitors in the month she spent in the canal, but concerns remain about her apparent injury and lack of appetite. Residents disagree over whether she should remain near the canal or return to the open sea.

Main Body

A dusky shark known as Bukangi has become an unexpected celebrity in Busan, South Korea. The shark was spotted in a canal in the southeastern port city last month, drawing attention from residents, visitors, and people following updates online. Her unusual presence turned a local waterway into a place of public interest, but the situation also raised a practical question: how could rescuers guide a large wild shark back to the sea while limiting further risk to her?

For weeks, rescue workers tried to move Bukangi toward open water using nets. The efforts were unsuccessful at first. On Wednesday, rescuers began a livestreamed operation in a harbour and spent more than eight hours carefully guiding the three-metre-long (10ft) shark toward the sea. Hundreds of fans gathered in a park overlooking the canal. They cheered and waved goodbye as the operation unfolded, reflecting how strongly the shark had captured the public’s imagination.

The apparent departure did not last. On Thursday morning, Bukangi reportedly swam back into the canal after breaking through a barrier that authorities had installed. For a period, she became trapped in a narrow space between two layers of nets. Rescuers freed her by removing the outer layer. Authorities then reinforced the remaining netting to make it harder for the shark to re-enter the canal.

Officials said Bukangi had since been swimming farther out, but repeatedly circled back toward the waterway. A government official told the BBC on Thursday afternoon that rescuers had concluded their operations to free the shark. That decision followed the attempts to guide her out and the subsequent reinforcement of the barrier. Although the rescue work had ended, Bukangi’s movements continued to draw attention, and her return left uncertainty about whether she would eventually remain in the open sea.

One possible explanation for her presence in the canal is that unusually warm water and an ample supply of fish may have attracted her. The wider context is also relevant: sea temperatures are rising year by year, and experts say Busan may host more sharks in the future. These factors offer a possible environmental context for Bukangi’s appearance, although they do not establish precisely why she entered the canal or why she has continued to return.

Bukangi’s time in the canal has had a visible impact on the city. In the month she was there, she attracted more than 1.6 million visitors. Her popularity gave a welcome boost to Busan’s tourism, and the city embraced her as an unofficial mascot. At the same time, public affection did not resolve concerns about her condition. Authorities worried that Bukangi appeared injured and was not eating. Social media users shared videos that seemed to show her swimming with a bloodied snout. There were also concerns that falling water temperatures could weaken her further.

The public response has been divided. Some residents and visitors interviewed by the BBC at the canal argued that Bukangi would be safer if she stayed there. The BBC saw two people holding cardboard signs protesting against her removal. One of them, Cho Hannah, had travelled for two hours from her home in North Geongsang province to see the shark. She described Bukangi as “a rare gift” to Busan and objected to moving her away from the canal.

Cho said, “This shark has made this canal her home, and we are kicking her out unnecessarily. I am afraid the shark might die tangled with the net, or die out at sea.” Her concerns focus on the hazards she believes the rescue measures and the open sea might pose. They also reflect a broader tension in wildlife interventions: a location that appears safe to observers may not necessarily be suitable for an animal’s health, while moving an animal can carry its own risks.

Other people believed that returning to the sea was the better outcome. Yoon In-taek said Bukangi appeared much larger when he first saw her on 18 September, when she first arrived, and that she now seemed gaunt. He was concerned about her health if she remained in the canal. His observation echoed official worries that she appeared injured and was not eating, though the available accounts do not provide a confirmed diagnosis.

Shin Seungmin also supported the shark’s departure. He said it did not feel right that Bukangi kept returning to the canal and hoped she would leave, avoid coming back, and live and feed freely in the open sea. At the same time, he acknowledged the emotional attachment people had formed: Bukangi had “brought so much joy to us,” he said, adding that he was sad to see her leave. He concluded that she should “go and live her normal shark life.”

The contrasting views show why Bukangi’s story is more complicated than a simple rescue narrative. For some, her repeated return suggests a connection to the canal and makes removal feel unnecessary. For others, her apparent decline makes it important that she reach a natural environment where she can feed freely. Neither perspective changes the central uncertainty: observers have seen her swim back and forth, but the available information does not establish what she will do next or what conditions would best support her health.

Authorities’ barrier measures were intended to prevent Bukangi from returning after she had been guided toward open water. Yet her ability to breach the first barrier demonstrated how difficult it can be to control the movements of a wild animal in a complex waterway. The rescue workers’ response—freeing her when she became caught between nets, removing the outer layer, and reinforcing the remaining one—illustrates the need to adapt quickly when an intervention produces an unexpected situation.

Bukangi’s experience has brought together wildlife welfare, public emotion, tourism, and environmental change. Her popularity made her a symbol for Busan, while her apparent injury and lack of appetite heightened concerns about her well-being. The warmer waters that may have contributed to her arrival also point to a broader possibility: experts say Busan may see more sharks as the sea continues to warm. For now, the celebrity shark remains a subject of attention because she has not simply followed the route people hoped she would take. Her story leaves residents watching and wondering whether she will settle in the open sea or circle back once more.

Additional reporting by Leehyun Choi.

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