Zimbabwe boy of eight survives five days in lion-inhabited Matusadona game park

An eight-year-old boy has been found alive after surviving five days in a game reserve where lions and elephants live in northern Zimbabwe, according to a member of parliament.

The problem started when Tinotenda Pudu traveled 23 kilometers from his home to the dangerous Matusadona Game Park, Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi said on X.

He spent five days “sleeping on rocks, among roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild berries,” he said.

Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. At one point, it had one of the largest lion populations in Africa, according to African Parks.

The Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority has confirmed the matter to the BBC but has not said much.

Murombedzi said the boy used his knowledge of the wild and survival skills to stay alive.

We are thankful that they survived because they ate wild fruits. They also dug small wells in dry rivers with sticks to get drinking water – a skill learned in drought-prone areas.

The people of Nyaminyami formed a search party and beat the drums every day to try to guide him to return home.

But in the end, it was the park rangers who managed to find him.

On the fifth day while he was in the forest, Tinotenda heard a security guard’s car and ran towards it, narrowly missing, the MP said.

Fortunately, the soldiers returned, saw “new human feet,” and searched the area until they found him.

“This was probably his last chance to be saved after 5 days in the desert,” said the MP.

The park is more than 1,470 kilometers long and is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, lions and deer.

On social media, people have been praising the young man for his bravery.

“This is hard for people to understand,” wrote one person on X.

One user wrote: “They’ll have one more story to tell when they go back to school.”