In a “near miracle”, the eight-month-old calf trekked through lion and hyena territory to reach the International Fund for Animal Welfare sanctuary near Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
He hid nervously in bushes in the dark outside a boma (an enclosure) before a herd being prepared for a return to the wild nuzzled him lovingly and accepted him into their group.
Rangers at the Wild is Life-IFAW release site at Panda Masuie, just south of the Zambezi River, named the youngster after the biblical prophet, following his 2.5-mile exodus to safety.
Conservation director Jos Danckwerts said: “It was incredible to see how the older elephants touched and caressed him before walking him back to the safety of the boma.
“We don’t know what happened to his herd, but it is a near miracle he stayed safe from the many lions on the reserve.”