Visual news · Busan
Busan made a star of a wild shark. Keeping her safe is harder.
- Data, investigation, script
- AJP Kim Dong-young
- Infographics
- AJP Song Ji-yoon
- Photos & video
- AJP Yoo Na-hyun
01 · Who she is
Three weeks.
One shark.
A million fans.
She swam into Busan's North Port canal on Sep 18 and chose to stay.
Photo: AJP Yoo Na-hyun
That fin is a dusky shark
First reported as a bronze whaler. On Oct 6, close-up video showed a ridge between her two dorsal fins, and NIFS corrected the species. She is female and about 3 meters long.
Endangered
Dusky sharks are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. They grow slowly and give birth only every 2–3 years.
There's no "shark" in her name. North Port opened in 1876 as Korea's first modern port.
02 · Where she lives
One footbridge from Busan Station. Six bridges cross it. She stays between the 4th and 5th.
Watch her
Over and over.
Follow the fin along the wall. The crowd moves with her.
She swims the same stretch of wall again and again. Scientists at NIFS liken it to the stress behavior of animals kept in captivity.
03 · Sep 18 – Oct 7
Zero wins.
- The first try took six hours
The Coast Guard gave up after scientists warned that forcing her could make her aggressive.
- City stops trying
No more rescue attempts for now. Officials are monitoring her instead.
04 · The crowd
1,015,800
people came to see her in 17 days
Photo: AJP Yoo Na-hyunEach dot is 2,000 people.
Shark vs. Expo
national expo
05 · Nearby sales
Toy sales at a nearby Emart24 rose 741% too.
06 · The city's response
Protected slowly.
- Gave her a nickname within three days
- Named her honorary PR ambassador (91% approval in a poll)
- Plans to trademark her name after 5 private filings
- Ban flashlights at night. It can only make announcements.
- Follow a shark manual. None exists yet.
- Keep her from getting hurt
Photo: AJP Yoo Na-hyun
At night
the water
Visitors shine flashlights and lanterns into the shallow canal after dark.
07 · Health watch
Below 18°C the water is unsuitable for her. A large shark can last about a month without food.
Elsewhere
A spotted seal named Nana swam about 200 km back to Changhai County after being moved. Officials let her stay.
Now monitoring. Lights at night can't be banned.
No touching, no feeding, no disturbing. A buffer zone and daily patrols.
08 · Test yourself
Read along with a playful sea tune, “Sailor’s Hornpipe.”
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