Celebrity shark guided out of Busan canal refuses to swim out to sea

It is thought that Bukangi might have been drawn to the canal by unusually warm waters and plenty of fish. With the sea getting warmer each year, experts say Busan may play host to more sharks in the future.

In the month that she has been in the canal, Bukangi has already attracted more than 1.6 million visitors.

Its popularity gave a welcome boost to Busan’s tourism, and the city has embraced her as an unofficial mascot.

But authorities were also concerned about Bukangi’s well-being as it appeared to be injured and was not eating.

Social media users have been circulating videos of Bukangi swimming in the canal with what appears to be a bloodied snout.

There were concerns that it would be further weakened by falling water temperatures.

Before this week’s operation, there had been two earlier failed attempts to guide Bukangi out of the canal with nets.