Busan North Port shark 'Bukangi' returns to water after crossing nets... Rescue operations halted

(Busan = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Seong-je = Rescue authorities installed a net near the exit of the waterway to return the shark 'Bukangi', which had been staying in Busan's North Port Waterfront Park for more than 10 days, to the sea, but Bukangi jumped over the net and returned to the inside of the waterway within a day.

According to Yonhap News coverage on the 3rd, Bukangi returned to the inside of the waterway in a day after crossing the large net installed during the rescue operation the previous day.

The relevant authorities, including the Busan Marine Police Station, spread a large net 50 meters long and 6.8 meters high near the 4th pedestrian bridge in the waterfront park the day before to return the fish to the sea.

By dragging the net towards the 6th pedestrian bridge close to the sea, they guided Bukangi out of the waterway.

As the net got caught on the bottom of the canal and Bukangi showed no further desire to go out, the authorities fixed the net at a point about 100 meters inside the canal outlet and stopped the rescue operation.

The installed net played a role in preventing the boukangi from returning into the waterway.

However, Bukangi, which had been wandering around the net looking for an opening, eventually climbed over the net and returned to the inside of the waterway around 12 noon that day.

As the water depth increased due to high tide, a gap appeared at the top of the net, and it is presumed that the Bukangi slipped through this gap.

Currently, Bukangi is appearing in the waterway between the 4th and 5th pedestrian bridges, where it used to frequent.

Rescue authorities, including Busan City, decided to keep an eye on Bukangi's movements for the time being.

The decision was made to observe whether Bukangi can move to the sea on its own without additional artificial rescue operations.

The installed net was also dismantled at around 4:20 pm on this day to secure a passage for the fish to move to the open sea.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science will continue to check the movement status and health status of Bukangi, and if any unusual behavior such as abnormal behavior is observed, it plans to discuss additional response measures with relevant organizations.

Related organizations, including the Busan Facilities Corporation, are strengthening patrols in preparation for crowds during the holiday season.

As Bukangi did not leave the waterway even after the second rescue operation, the waterside park was crowded with many citizens that day.

As of 6 p.m. on this day, 52,000 citizens had gathered. Since Bukangi was first discovered, the cumulative number of visitors to this park has exceeded 800,000.