Lost Shark in Busan Canal Hopes to Find Its Way Home to Sea

WHO:

BBC - A leading South Korean shark expert was asked by the coastguard to help save a shark.

BBC News - The shark was a female dusky shark, called Bukangi.

WHAT:

BBC - The shark was in a Busan canal and the story asks whether it would leave the canal and return to the sea.

BBC News - More than a million people flocked to Busan to see Bukangi.

WHERE:

BBC - The shark was in a canal in Busan, South Korea; the expert was returning home from a business trip.

BBC News - People gathered in Busan to glimpse the shark.

WHY:

BBC - The coastguard contacted the expert to help save the shark.

BBC News - The public flocked to Busan to see Bukangi.

HOW:

BBC - Before receiving the call, the expert had been tracking shoals of mackerel to help fishing vessels.

(UPDATED October 25, 2026 09:58 UTC)

A female dusky shark named Bukangi drew more than a million people to Busan, South Korea, after appearing in a city canal. The unusual visitor became a public attraction, with crowds gathering in hopes of catching a glimpse of her. But the central question was whether Bukangi would leave the canal and make her way back to the sea. The coastguard called in a leading South Korean shark expert to help save her. He was returning home from a business trip when he received the request. Before the call, he had been tracking shoals of mackerel to help fishing vessels. His work shifted from supporting the fishing fleet to helping a shark trapped in an unexpected urban setting. The coastguard and expert faced the challenge of guiding Bukangi safely out of the canal.