A shark that spent more than a month circling a canal in Busan, South Korea, has been guided back toward the open sea. Officials freed the female dusky shark Wednesday after several weeks of rescue attempts.

The shark, about 10 feet long, was first seen in the canal on Sept. 18. Officials nicknamed her Bukangi, after the Korean name for Busan’s North Port.

Bukangi became an unlikely local celebrity as she swam around the canal with her fin cutting through the surface. City officials made her a mascot, and said more than 1.7 million people visited to catch a glimpse.

Earlier efforts to steer the shark out failed. On Sept. 29 and Oct. 2, boats sprayed water and nets were placed across the narrow waterway, but Bukangi avoided the boats and swam over the nets.

The third operation used a large floating platform to guide her toward the canal’s mouth. Workers on the platform used oars to push the shark back when she approached, while crews on both banks pulled ropes to move the structure forward.

The platform advanced about six-tenths of a mile, and workers placed more netting ahead of it to keep Bukangi from turning back into the canal. Hundreds of onlookers lined the banks to watch the unusual rescue unfold.

Experts had raised concerns about the shark’s health because she showed no sign of feeding during her time in the canal and water temperatures were falling. Mayor Chun Jae-soo said she eventually swam out, though it was not immediately clear how far she traveled; South Korea’s Yonhap news agency later reported seeing her near a pier.

Chun thanked people for their interest in the shark and the city’s waters, and said he hoped she would remain healthy in the sea. The Associated Press reported on the rescue and the weeks of efforts to free Bukangi.