An eight-year-old boy has been rescued alive after surviving five days in the Matusadona Game Park in northern Zimbabwe, a habitat home to lions and elephants. Tinotenda Pudu, who wandered 23 km (14 miles) from his home, ended up in the park, which was described by Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi as “perilous.”
During his five-day ordeal, Tinotenda slept on a rocky ledge while lions roared nearby and elephants passed by, subsisting on wild fruit for food. Matusadona Game Park is known to host around 40 lions, and at one point, had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to African Parks.
While the Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority confirmed the incident, they did not release additional details. Murombedzi stated that the boy relied on his knowledge of the wild and survival skills to stay alive.
Tinotenda managed to survive by eating wild fruits and also demonstrated a skill common in the drought-prone area: digging small wells in dry riverbeds to access water using a stick.
Members of the local Nyaminyami community formed a search party, beating drums each day to help guide Tinotenda back home. However, it was park rangers who ultimately found him.
On his fifth day in the wilderness, Tinotenda heard the sound of a ranger’s vehicle and ran toward it, narrowly missing the car. Fortunately, the rangers returned, followed “fresh little human footprints,” and continued searching until they located him.
“This was probably his last chance of being rescued after five days in the wilderness,” said Murombedzi.
The 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.
