"Wow!" Shark Lingers for Five Days... Why It Won't Leave

[Anchor]

A shark that appeared at the Busan North Port Waterfront Park has been unable to return to the sea for five days. While citizens continue to flock to catch a glimpse of the shark, concerns are also growing over whether the animal is okay.

Reporter Kim su-yun has the details.

[Reporter]

As a gray fin briefly breaks the surface of the water, gasps of admiration erupt from all around.

[Wow!]

Despite it being a weekday, crowds of people came to the Busan North Port Waterfront Park to see the shark.

[Shin Ah-ra and Choi Su-ha / Yeongdo-gu, Busan: We left school early to come here. It is huge and cool. It was fascinating.]

First discovered on September 18, it has not left this place for five days.

[Kim Ha-young, Yoon Jung-ah, and Park Na-ye / Busanjin-gu, Busan: It felt a bit pathetic. We worried that its activity might be shrinking because of all the people.]

Experts believe that the shark, which entered the narrow waterway in search of food, is unable to find an exit.

[Kim Hyun-woo / Researcher, National Institute of Fisheries Science: From a human perspective, we can see how the waterway is formed and set a direction to get out, but from the perspective of a shark in the water, it is a bit difficult to figure out where the entrance is.]

Its swimming along the edges of the waterway is presumed to be a survival behavior.

[Kim Jin-goo / Professor of Marine Bioscience, Pukyong National University: If it hugs the edges, predators can only attack from one side. There are not many fish swimming right in the middle of the waterway. So, it likely stuck to the edges to search for food.]

While the shark appearing at the North Port has become an unexpected spectacle for citizens, experts generally agree that its prolonged stay in a waterway blocked by artificial concrete is unsuitable for its survival.

[Choi Yoon / Professor of Marine Biology, Kunsan National University: Looking at how it swims, it looks very unnatural, and because the water depth is shallow and the space is narrow, it cannot move freely. It might be even better to carry out an operation to guide it out once it loses a bit of energy.]

Authorities plan to step in for a rescue if they determine that protection is necessary, such as if the shark exhibits abnormal behavior.

(Reported by Jeong Kyung-mun | Video by Lee Sang-min | Graphics by Kim Min-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.