‘Bukangi’ the shark returns to South Korean canal after three rescue attempts

A shark that South Korean authorities spent hours guiding into the open sea has swum back into a canal in the port city of Busan, eluding a net that was meant to prevent her return.

The 3-meter-long (10-foot) shark, nicknamed "Bukangi" after the Korean name for Busan's North Port, has become a viral sensation since she was spotted in the canal late last month, attracting 1.6 million visitors, according to the Busan Infrastructure Corporation.

Authorities have so far made three attempts to encourage her to return to the open sea, the latest of which was on Wednesday involving floating platforms, nets, and divers.

On Wednesday, after a month in the canal, Bukangi was successfully guided back into the open sea, according to the oceans ministry.

But on Thursday, the ministry said that the shark had swum under one of the nets installed in the canal to be caught between the outer net and an inner net installed 30 to 40 meters deeper into the waterway.

Officials have opened the outer net and reinforced barriers to prevent the shark from retreating further, in hopes that Bukangi would move out into the open water, they said.

Experts said no further efforts to guide Bukangi out to the open sea are necessary, as the shark’s condition is stable. Authorities will continue to monitor her condition, the ministry added.

South Korea's National Institute of Fisheries Science has identified Bukangi as a female dusky shark.

The shark's prolonged stay has raised environmental concerns, with experts pointing to warming ocean temperatures as the cause of more frequent shark sightings along South Korea's east coast. Dusky sharks are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

-Reporting by Maggie Grether, Hyun Young Yi and Joyce Lee; Editing by Brenda Goh and Thomas Derpinghaus/Reuters