Famous Busan Shark Disappears After Month-Long Stay In Canal

BUSAN, Nov 6 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- Bukang-i the shark, which drew more than a million viewers while staying in a coastal canal in the southeastern city of Busan for over a month, has not been seen for 11 consecutive days, raising the possibility that it has finally headed out to the open sea, Yonhap News Agency reported.

According to the National Institute of Fisheries Science and related agencies, no sightings of Bukang-i have been reported since Oct 27 near the canal exit leading to Busan's North Port, about 330 kilometres southeast of Seoul.

Experts speculate dropping water temperatures near the canal’s exit could have played a role in the shark's disappearance.

The optimal water temperature for sharks is between 18 and 26 Celsius, but surface water temperatures off the North Port have fallen to 18-19 Celsius.

The shark -- affectionately named Bukang-i after Bukhang, Korean for North Port -- was first spotted in the canal Sept 18.

Since then, the canal park has turned into a major tourist attraction, drawing nearly 1.7 million visitors as of Oct 29.

Local authorities made three attempts to guide the shark out of the canal and into the ocean, but all operations failed.

Since the third attempt on Oct 21, Bukang-i has stayed in waters near a pier outside the canal, although the waters there are not considered open sea.

Officials installed multiple layers of barrier nets to prevent the shark from returning to the canal.

Authorities said they plan to keep the nets in place for the time being and will decide whether to remove them about a month after the shark's exit.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP