Fears Realized for "Bukang-i": Suffers Unexpected Injury While "Abruptly Changing Direction"

[Anchor]

It has now been 20 days since "Bukang-i," affectionately known as the "national shark," took up residence in Busan's North Port. While it has been providing a unique source of entertainment for citizens, the prolonged stay in the narrow waterway has led to feared consequences: abrasions have been found on Bukang-i.

Here is a report by Choi Han-sol from KNN.

[Reporter]

Today marks the 20th day that Bukang-i has stayed in the waterway of the North Port Waterfront Park.

Upon closer inspection, however, the snout area appears red.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS) estimates that it may have suffered abrasions after colliding with the waterway walls.

Experts suggest it might have been startled by flashlight beams shone by visitors at night.

[Kim Hyun-woo / Researcher, National Institute of Fisheries Science: Last night, visitors shone strong lantern lights toward Bukang-i, and at that moment, Bukang-i abruptly changed direction...]&br;

There is also a claim that it could have been injured during the process of jumping over the guide net on October 2.

Fortunately, the Fisheries Science Institute stated that the injury does not appear to be severe and should not hinder its feeding activities.

While there are concerns about potential infection around the wounded area, analysts note that the likelihood is low as water temperatures are dropping.

[Kim Jin-gu / Professor, Department of Marine Biology, Pukyong National University: Water temperatures are dropping now... When water temperatures are high, Vibrio bacteria are very active, so high temperatures can be unfavorable...]&br;

As Bukang-i appears unable to feed properly inside the waterway and is accumulating stress from staying in a confined space for a long time, experts point out that visitors must refrain from actions that provoke the shark.

[Kwon Soo-oh / Nam-gu, Busan: We were quiet. We stayed quiet without shouting. I hope people can show some courtesy to it as well.]

Meanwhile, the number of visitors who have visited the Busan North Port Waterfront Park to see Bukang-i has now surpassed 1.05 million.

(Video by Jeon Jae-hyun / KNN, Video Editing by Oh Hyun-hee / KNN)

Choi Han-sol, KNN

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