Is it safe to feed raw chicken to 'Buchang-i,' Busan's viral shark?

As Buchang-i — the shark that has delighted residents across Busan — prepares to head back out to sea, onlookers have been spotted tossing food into the water, apparently reluctant to let it leave empty-handed. The offerings have ranged from raw chicken to mackerel.

Can Buchang-i actually digest raw chicken? Experts believe it probably can. Buchang-i is thought to be a tawny nurse shark, a carnivorous fish, and research suggests sharks in its family are capable of consuming land-based prey. A 2019 paper published in the journal Ecology by researchers at the Field Museum in Chicago found that juvenile tiger sharks eat not only seabirds such as gulls and pelicans, but also land birds including sparrows and pigeons.

The researchers examined the stomach contents of 105 juvenile tiger sharks caught between 2010 and 2018, finding traces of birds in 41 of them — about 39 percent. DNA analysis identified the birds as 11 species that primarily live on land, including swallows and sparrows, rather than seabirds. The researchers believe the sharks consumed birds that had been blown out to sea by storms or other weather events.

That said, feeding Buchang-i raw chicken is far from advisable. Choi Yun, a shark expert and professor in the Department of Marine Bioresources at Gunsan University, said in a recent interview with CBS that it would be "much better not to throw food" to the shark.

"It could be stimulating the shark," Choi said, adding that tawny nurse sharks in the wild feed on fish and do not typically eat meat or food thrown by humans. Buchang-i has not been observed feeding at all since it was spotted.

Choi also expressed reservations about offering marine animals to the shark. "In this kind of environment, it won't eat anything dead," he said. "It might eventually eat something like that if it gets hungry enough, but right now there is enough food in there that hunger is not an issue. Food is still available in its natural state."

Busan city officials began efforts Tuesday to guide Buchang-i out to open sea. Workers used water pumps to push the shark out of the waterway, but it appeared reluctant to leave, evading the vessels and swimming back into the harbor. If the water-pump method fails, the city plans to use nets to steer it out to open water on Friday.

Buchang-i was first spotted Sept. 18 in an artificial waterway at a waterfront park in Busan. By Monday, the park had drawn a cumulative total of more than 600,000 visitors. Some 480,000 of them came during the Chuseok holiday alone.

The city also announced Tuesday that it would designate Buchang-i as an honorary goodwill ambassador for Busan. At the appointment ceremony, Bugi — the city's official mascot character — will receive the certificate of appointment on Buchang-i's behalf, adding a lighthearted touch to the occasion.