The elephant – dubbed “Sulong” by Malaysians keenly following social media updates on his weeks-long journey – was first spotted by motorists on August 17, walking slowly along the busy East-West Highway in an apparent attempt to reach the northeastern state of Kelantan.

Wildlife authorities had previously relocated Sulong to a forest reserve in Gerik, Perak, more than 230km (140 miles) southwest from the forest surrounding Chalil, a remote village in Kelantan’s Gua Musang district, where locals had raised concerns of repeated incursions on farms and village land.

Videos of Sulong’s trek soon went viral. Images of the gentle giant limping slowly with an injury to its front right leg proved too much to bear for some.

“Imagine an injured elephant walking hundreds of kilometres on unknown terrain, purely following its instinct to return home,” read one emotional social media post. “He is not a problem. He is not a disturbance. He is just a wild animal, a living creature in search of its home.”

After weeks of trudging along asphalt roads, Sulong finally made his way back into the forested area of Jeli in Kelantan on Wednesday, according to wildlife authorities – roughly halfway home.