A little boy has been found alive after surviving for five days in a lion and elephant reserve in northern Zimbabwe, according to a member of parliament.
Trouble began when Tinotenda Pudu wandered at least 23 kilometers (14 miles) from home to the “dangerous” Matusadona Game Park, Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi told X.
He spent five days “sleeping in a rocky place, among roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits,” he said.
Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. At one time, it had the highest number of lions in Africa, according to African Parks.
The Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority has confirmed the incident to the BBC but said the boy is seven years old rather than eight as the Member of Parliament said and he walked 49 kilometers from home.
Murombedzi said the boy used his wild knowledge and survival skills to stay alive.
Tinotenda survived his ordeal by eating a wild fruit. He also dug small wells in dry rivers with a stick to get drinking water – a skill taught in drought-prone areas.
Members of the local community of Nyaminyami started a search party and beat drums every day to guide him back home.
But in the end, it was the park staff who managed to find him.
On the fifth day in the field, Tinotenda heard a security car and ran towards it, narrowly missing, said the Member of Parliament.
Fortunately, the guards came back, saw “new human feet,” and searched everywhere until they found him.
“This was his last chance to be rescued after 5 days in the wilderness,” said the Member of Parliament.
The park is over 1,470 square kilometers (570 square miles) and is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, lions and deer.
On social media, people have been praising this young man for his resilience.
“This is beyond human comprehension,” another person wrote on X.
Another user wrote: “He’ll have one story to tell when he goes back to school.”
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