[Anchor]
The shark "Bukang-i," which left the waterside park on the evening of the 21st, has returned after just 5 hours. Relevant authorities have decided to simply monitor the situation for now.
Reporter Kim Su-yun has the story.
[Reporter]
After more than 10 hours of the third operation to guide it to the open sea, Bukang-i left the waterway at 6:00 PM on the 21st.
However, it broke through the barrier net and returned at around 11:00 PM.
Authorities presume that Bukang-i, reacting sensitively to the engine noise of nearby vessels and other factors, squeezed through the gap between the net and the seabed.
[Kim Hyun-woo / Researcher, National Institute of Fisheries Science: Underwater noise from vessel navigation, strong lights, and external stimulus factors likely disrupted the sensory organs of the individual.]
Citizens are simply glad to see Bukang-i back.
[Hwang Jong-hyun / Seobuk-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do: There is such a thing as a homing instinct. I hope it stays a bit longer so many people can see it.]
However, experts note that the shark cannot stay indefinitely, as water temperatures are dropping, feeding activity is low, and wounds have been repeatedly found.
[Choi Yoon / Professor Emeritus, Department of Marine Biology, Kunsan National University: It seems the wounds were caused by a hungry Bukang-i repeatedly scraping the seabed in search of food...]
Authorities initially planned to attempt guiding it to the open sea yesterday as well, but shifted to a monitoring system to observe its condition.
They concluded that rather than forcing it out, it is better to give it time to adapt to the changed environment and recover its stamina.
Bukang-i was mostly found around the entrance of the waterway, but its activity radius has now expanded to the waters near Pier 1 of the outer Busan Port.
[Kim Hyun-sung / Director of the Marine Ecology and Resources Division, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries: Its diving time is increasing and the depth has also gotten deeper. We judged that attempting additional guidance to the open sea could rather induce stress and make adaptation difficult...]
Authorities plan to reinforce the barrier net and monitor Bukang-i's condition.
(Video by: Jung Kyeong-moon, Video Editing by: Jung Yong-hwa)
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