South Korean officials free a shark trapped for a month in Busan canal

SEOUL, South Korea — After failed attempts in recent weeks, South Korean officials on Wednesday finally freed a large gray shark that had been trapped for more than a month in a canal in the port city of Busan.

Officials used a floating platform to herd the nearly 10-foot female dusky shark, nicknamed Bukangi after the Korean name for Busan’s North Port, along the narrow canal for hours. The shark lingered at the canal’s mouth but eventually swam to sea, Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo said.

The shark was first spotted in mid-September and became a major tourist attraction as it slowly circled the canal, its fins slicing through the water’s surface.

Busan officials, who made Bukangi a city mascot, said the shark attracted more than 1.7 million visitors to the canal. But they struggled for weeks to find a way to guide it back to the open sea.

Wednesday’s operation was the third attempt to free Bukangi, following failed efforts on Sept. 29 and Oct. 2 that involved boats spraying streams of water and nets placed across the narrow waterway. The shark avoided the boats and swam over the nets.

Experts have raised concerns about the shark’s condition, saying it…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world