Bucangi the shark shows fin damage after a month in Busan waterway, drawing 1.5 million visitors

A wound has been found on the right fin of Bucangi, the shark that has been living in the artificial waterway at Busan's Bukang Waterfront Park for more than a month.

In footage captured by a citizen Sunday, the tip of Bucangi's right pectoral fin appeared to have turned white and suffered some damage, according to Yonhap.

"It looks like Bucangi's fin has split, possibly from swimming too close to the right wall," the citizen told Yonhap.

The National Institute of Fisheries Science, which has been monitoring Bucangi's condition, also spotted the injury through researchers at the scene. The institute said the fin tip appeared to have been partially damaged by friction while the shark swam with its body pressed against the waterway wall.

No bleeding was observed, and the injury is not currently considered serious enough to affect the shark's health.

Earlier, Bucangi had sustained a wound to its snout after bumping into barnacles and other organisms attached to the waterway wall.

"Sharks recover from skin damage fairly quickly," the institute said. "The fin injury is not a major cause for concern at this point." It added, however, that continued contact with the wall while swimming could slow recovery, and said researchers are continuing to monitor the condition of the pectoral fin alongside the existing snout wound.

Bucangi, which has become a local attraction in Busan, has now been in the waterfront park's artificial waterway for a full month.

The 3-meter shark was first spotted on Sept. 18 in the waterway, which connects to the sea. Coast guard officers responded and attempted to drive it away, but the shark refused to leave. From the following day, crowds of residents flocked to see it in person, and the shark quickly became a local landmark — earning the name Bucangi in the process.

The coast guard deployed water pumps and a specially made net in two separate attempts to guide Bucangi back out to sea, but both failed. In the second attempt, crews managed to push the shark to within 100 meters of the waterway exit, only for it to leap over the net and return the next day.

Authorities have since halted rescue operations and are waiting for Bucangi to return to the sea on its own, while continuing to monitor its health. They are hoping that as autumn deepens and the waterway temperature drops, the shark will head back to the relatively warmer open sea.

The waterway's water temperature has recently been around 22 degrees Celsius. Experts expect Bucangi will find it difficult to remain once the temperature falls below roughly 18 degrees.

Meanwhile, Bucangi's extended stay has kept visitors streaming into the park. Since the shark was first spotted, the park has recorded more than 1.5 million cumulative visitors — in effect, 1.5 million people who came to catch a glimpse of Bucangi.