Busan's shark crowds: caring about Bukangi means keeping some distance

Visitors kept coming to Busan North Port Waterfront Park to see Bukangi over the Hangul Day holiday. On October 11, Yonhap cited Busan Infrastructure Corporation’s count of 205,000 park visits from October 9 through 6 p.m. on October 11, bringing the total since the shark was first spotted on September 18 to 1,348,800. The figures count park visits.

Curiosity about a wild animal has changed how people spend weekends in the city. The crowds have also raised the question of how to watch without disturbing the shark.

Identified as a dusky shark

On October 6, the National Institute of Fisheries Science identified Bukangi as a dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus, ruling out an earlier tentative identification as a similar species. Close-up footage showed the ridge between its two dorsal fins. Comparing it with nearby structures, the institute estimated its length at about three metres and identified it as female. The red arrows in the official image point to that ridge.

The institute describes dusky sharks as slow to grow and reproduce and said it would keep monitoring Bukangi’s movements and health.

Viewing rules

Busan’s October 6 safety notice asks visitors not to shine strong lights at the shark continuously or follow it with a beam. It also asks people not to feed it or throw objects, to keep a safe distance from the railings and to show consideration in crowds.

Our suggestion is simple: don’t try to change an animal’s behaviour for a photograph, and don’t use light or food to lure it back into view. Follow on-site restrictions first; a visit without a sighting is still a waterfront walk.

Checked details: attendance figures are reported as of 6 p.m. on October 11. The photograph was released by the fisheries institute on October 6 and is not a live image. Check on-site notices and restrictions when visiting.