According to The Guardian on September 29, experts say a bronze whaler may have swum from the sea into the canal after chasing its prey and then been unable to find its way out.
This shark was first spotted on September 18th, and within 10 days, the park surrounding the canal recorded over 600,000 visitors coming to see the rare shark, compared to the usual 2,000 people per day during holidays. The animal was nicknamed "Bukang-i" by locals (a combination of the name of the North Port area in Busan and a Korean nickname).
Many tourists come to Busan ( South Korea ) to witness the wild shark that strayed into the canal.
PHOTO: ACCOUNT X, BUSAN CITY GOVERNMENT
The Busan government even bestowed upon the shark the honorary title of "Shafluencer," after 91% of participants in a social media survey supported the idea. Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo praised the animal as "very beautiful and having the qualities of a star."
However, since no feeding has been observed since the shark appeared, officials fear its health will deteriorate. Yonhap reported that the Busan coast guard deployed five specialized vessels to spray water in an attempt to herd the shark back towards the open sea. Despite this, the rescue effort on September 29th failed as Bukang-i repeatedly swam behind the boats to evade them.
Authorities said they would temporarily halt the shark rescue operation and return in a few days, after designing a specialized net to herd the shark back into the sea. Media reports indicated that many people also took the opportunity to visit the park to say goodbye to the shark.