The mission to rescue a 3-meter-long female shark in Busan, South Korea, has succeeded after it was trapped in a canal for over a month and stopped eating. Officials used a floating platform to guide the shark out of the canal back to the sea.
South Korean officials successfully helped a female gray shark trapped in a canal near Busan's harbor for more than a month finally return to the sea on Wednesday after several previous failed attempts.
The shark, approximately 3 meters long, was nicknamed "Bugang-i" after the Korean name of Busan's northern harbor. It was first spotted in mid-September and became a tourist attraction as people watched it swim repeatedly in the narrow canal, with its fin occasionally breaking the water surface.
Chun Jae-su, mayor of Busan, revealed that during the latest operation, officials used a floating platform to slowly herd the shark along the canal for several hours. Although initially the shark remained near the canal's mouth, it eventually swam out to the sea.
This was the third rescue attempt, following unsuccessful operations on 29 September and 2 October, during which officials used boats with water jets and nets to block the canal and direct the shark. However, the shark was able to avoid the boats and swim past the nets.
In the latest operation, officials carefully maneuvered a large floating platform through the canal. Workers on the platform used paddles to steer the shark when it approached, while dozens of officials on both canal banks pulled ropes to move the platform forward. Additional nets were installed in front of the platform to prevent the shark from swimming back into the canal.
Officials successfully guided the platform about 1 kilometer to the canal's mouth, amid hundreds of people who gathered to watch this rare rescue operation.
Earlier, experts expressed concern about the shark's health because it showed no signs of feeding throughout its time in the canal, and the dropping water temperature could further endanger its condition.
Busan authorities said the Bugang-i shark became the city's mascot over the past month, attracting more than 1.7 million visitors to the canal area. However, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that after the rescue, the shark was seen near nearby docks, but there is no confirmed information on how far it has ventured into open waters.
Source:AP
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