Bukangi resurfaces in Busan Port, but experts fear stress and declining health
The endangered dusky shark was seen swimming normally after leaving a shallow canal, though a U.S. expert warns weeks of confinement may have harmed it.
A shark nicknamed Bukangi swims in an artificial waterway at North Port Waterfront Park in Busan on Oct. 22 after passing through a barrier designed to prevent its return. The shark had been guided out of the waterway the previous day but reentered and was swimming between two barriers.YONHAP
BUSAN — Bukangi, a dusky shark that spent more than a month in a shallow canal at a Busan park, was found swimming normally in nearby Busan Port after briefly disappearing when it exited the canal. But a U.S. shark expert warned that the endangered shark may still be in poor health after weeks in the cramped channel.
The shark has not yet headed out to the open sea but has moved beyond the narrow waterway where it stayed, widening its range, according to the National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) on Sunday.
Bukangi was spotted Saturday in port waters near the Busan Port's International Passenger Terminal, a restricted area about 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) from the artificial waterway at the North Port Waterfront Park. It had not been seen since Friday morning.
The institute searched the waterway Saturday morning but could not find the shark. After a tip from the Busan Port Authority that Bukangi had been seen near the passenger terminal, it sent a team to the site.
The shark was swimming at a normal speed and keeping its balance, with no new injuries or other signs of health problems. Unlike in the waterway, which is only about 3 meters deep, it was seen diving underwater with its dorsal fin barely showing. The institute believes Bukangi made its way along the port’s walls.
Aerial view of the Busan PortBUSAN METROPOLITAN CITY
Bukangi, an endangered female about 3 meters (9.84 feet) long, was first spotted in the waterway on Sept. 18 and stayed there for more than a month. Authorities have since made three attempts to guide it back to the open sea.
During the third attempt on Wednesday, rescuers pushed the shark out of the waterway, but it swam back in through a gap under the barrier net about five hours later. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries then left the net open Thursday so the shark could leave on its own. Bukangi exited the waterway and was spotted near Pier 1 of the port on Friday morning.
Gregory Skomal, a senior fisheries scientist at the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, said it is too early to be optimistic about the shark’s health.
"If the shark is healthy and seeking freedom, I would expect it to move beyond a limited section of the canal," Skomal said in an email interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily. “At this stage, I cannot rule out that the shark is suffering from chronic stress or disease, either brought on by pre-existing infection or prolonged confinement."
Skomal also pointed to whether the shark has been feeding. “Sharks can go for weeks without eating, but it is obviously not good for them,” he said. “A shark that is unhealthy or stressed is not likely to eat. A couple of reports indicate that this shark appears thinner with signs of injury. I suspect this shark has not been feeding, is suffering from chronic stress and its health is declining."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
