A third attempt on 21 October

South Korean officials made a third attempt on 21 October to steer a female dusky shark out of a canal in the port city of Busan. The animal, nicknamed Bukangi and about 3 metres long, had been trapped for more than a month in the waterway at North Port after it was first spotted on 18 September. Crews moved a large floating platform through the narrow canal, with workers on the platform using oars to push the shark back whenever it came close. Dozens of workers on both banks pulled ropes to drag the structure forward while hundreds of onlookers watched from the water's edge.

Two failed attempts before

The first rescue attempt, on 29 September, relied on boats spraying streams of water at the shark. According to The Independent, the shark repeatedly dodged the spray by swimming behind the vessels or diving beneath the surface. A second attempt on 2 October used a 50-metre net stretched across the canal, but the net caught on the canal bed as the tide rose and officials called off the operation. Officials had first waited for the shark to leave on its own, but concern about its health prompted the latest effort. Experts warned that it had shown no signs of feeding during its stay and that falling water temperatures added further risk, and, as The Independent reported, that it likely had as little as two weeks to live.

How the rescue unfolded

The operation began at about 10am and lasted roughly eight hours, according to The Independent. Eight divers helped guide the shark away from the uneven canal bed and toward the exit, while drones tracked its movements. The net was secured to pontoons, and the platform was pushed about one kilometre (0.6 miles) toward the canal mouth. Additional netting was placed in front of the structure to stop the shark from swimming back into the canal. Camera and drone footage showed the shark swimming near the platform and netting for hours instead of heading out to sea. By about 6pm, the shark was seen outside the canal near a pier.

Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo marked the moment in a Facebook posting.

“During Bukangi's 34 days in North Port, the shark became a friend to the entire country and a symbol of Busan, the nation's maritime capital.”

The mayor added that the city would do everything it could until the very end to secure the shark's safe return to nature.

Where the shark stands

Accounts of the outcome differ. The Associated Press reported that by evening the shark remained at the mouth of the canal rather than swimming out to open sea. South Korea's oceans ministry, as reported by The Independent, said the shark had been guided back toward open sea but stayed at the canal mouth. The New York Times, citing a local news network's livestream, described the shark as guided back into open water. Der Standard reported that it was unclear whether the shark had reached the open sea at all. The rescue therefore remained unresolved in the latest reports.

Crowds and a wider sighting trend

Busan officials said the canal drew more than 1.6 million visitors to see the shark, according to AP. An institute responsible for the coastal waters recorded 46 sightings of large sharks along South Korea's east coast in the first half of the year, compared with 12 in the same period last year. Some experts have pointed to rising sea temperatures as a possible factor behind the increase in sightings. Reports suggest the shark may have been drawn to the canal by unusually warm water and plenty of fish.

First half 202512

First half 202646

First half 2025

12 sightings

First half 2026

46 sightings

Data from the article text