The key facts
- South Korea's oceans ministry announced on Wednesday that the shark had been successfully moved to the harbor, but the next day it returned to the canal after breaking through the barrier
- Wednesday's rescue operation lasted more than eight hours; there had previously been two failed attempts
- More than 1.6 million people visited a park in Busan to see the shark; the new operation is scheduled for Thursday
Shark returns to canal a day after rescue
The famous dusky shark nicknamed Bukkumi, which spent a month in the canal of the South Korean port city of Busan, returned to the canal entrance just one day after authorities announced the successful completion of the operation to move it out, local media report. South Korea's oceans ministry said on Wednesday evening that the shark had been moved out of the canal into the open harbor, but reports later emerged that the shark had returned to the mouth of the canal, apparently having broken through the barrier installed by the authorities. A new operation to relocate Bukkumi is scheduled for Thursday.
Wednesday's operation
During the operation broadcast live on Wednesday, rescuers spent more than eight hours using a net to carefully guide the three-meter shark toward open water in the harbor. Hundreds of fans saw it off, unaware that the next day it would still remain in the canal. Before Wednesday, there had been two failed attempts to move Bukkumi out of the canal using nets.
Causes and popularity
The shark is believed to have been drawn to the canal by unusually warm water and an abundance of fish. According to experts, as the sea warms, Busan may see more sharks in the future each year. Over recent weeks, more than 1.6 million people visited a park in Busan to see Bukkumi, which was named after the canal where it was spotted. Its popularity gave the city's tourism industry a pleasant boost, and the city embraced it as an unofficial mascot. At the same time, authorities were concerned about the shark's condition: it was reportedly injured and not eating; there were fears that a drop in water temperature would weaken it further.
Image source, Reuters Authorities had attempted to lead the shark out of the canal
