A young boy has been found alive after surviving five days in a game park in northern Zimbabwe, home to lions and elephants, according to a local member of parliament.
The ordeal began when Tinotenda Pudu, aged 7, wandered 49 km (30 miles) from his home into the dangerous Matusadona Game Park, located in Mashonaland West. The boy spent five days on a rocky perch, surrounded by roaring lions and passing elephants, while surviving on wild fruits, said Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of parliament for the area, in a post on X.
The Matusadona Game Park is home to around 40 lions and, at one time, had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to African Parks.
The Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority later confirmed the incident, correcting the MP’s earlier statement that Tinotenda was eight years old. They also clarified that the boy had traveled 49 km (30 miles) from home, not 23 km (14 miles).
Murombedzi praised the boy’s survival skills, stating that Tinotenda used his knowledge of the wild to stay alive. He ate wild fruit and, using a stick, dug small wells in dry riverbeds to access drinking water—a skill common in drought-prone areas.
The local Nyaminyami community organized daily search efforts, including drum beats to help guide Tinotenda back home. However, it was ultimately park rangers who found him.
On the fifth day, Tinotenda heard the sound of a ranger’s vehicle and ran toward it, narrowly missing it. Fortunately, the rangers returned and spotted fresh human footprints. They followed these tracks and found him in the park.
“This was probably his last chance of being rescued after five days in the wilderness,” said Murombedzi.
Matusadona Game Park spans over 1,470 sq km (570 sq miles) and is home to a variety of wildlife, including zebras, elephants, hippos, lions, and antelope.
Social media users have praised the boy’s remarkable resilience. One person wrote on X: “This is beyond human comprehension,” while another added, “He’s going to have one hell of a story to tell when he gets back to school.”
