Celebrity shark guided out of South Korea canal refuses to swim out to sea

A famous dusky shark in South Korea is still lingering near a canal that it was guided out of on Wednesday.

The shark, nicknamed Bukangi, became an unlikely sensation after it was spotted swimming in a canal in the south-eastern port city of Busan last month. For weeks, rescuers tried in vain to get it back to the open sea using large nets.

On Thursday, authorities said they had reinforced barriers to prevent Bukangi from returning. But it has yet to swim out into the open sea, and has been circling back repeatedly to the mouth of the waterway.

Its rescue prompted mixed reactions in Busan, where some said the shark should stay while others felt it was better for it to go.

In a livestreamed operation on Wednesday, rescue workers took more than eight hours to delicately guide the three-metre-long (10ft) shark with a net towards open water in a harbour.

Hundreds of adoring fans gathered at the park overlooking the canal, cheering and waving goodbye to the shark.

But then, on Thursday morning, Bukangi reportedly swam back into the canal after breaking through a barrier installed by authorities.

Source: BBC News World RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)