An eight-year-old boy, Tinotenda Pudu, has been miraculously found alive after spending five harrowing days in the wild of northern Zimbabwe’s Matusadona Game Park, known for its lions and elephants.
Member of Parliament Mutsa Murombedzi shared the story on X, detailing the boy’s extraordinary survival.
Tinotenda wandered 23 kilometres (14 miles) from his home into the “dangerous” game park, Murombedzi explained.
The park, spanning over 1,470 square kilometres (570 square miles), is teeming with wildlife, including zebras, elephants, hippos, antelope, and an estimated 40 lions, once among Africa’s densest populations.
For five days, Tinotenda endured the wilderness, “sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits,” the MP recounted.
His survival was attributed to his remarkable knowledge of the wild. Tinotenda relied on his skills to dig small wells in dry riverbeds using a stick to find water—a crucial technique in the drought-prone region.
The Nyaminyami community played a significant role in the search effort, beating drums daily to guide him back home.
Despite their efforts, it was the park rangers who ultimately located him.
On the fifth day, Tinotenda heard a ranger’s vehicle and dashed toward it but narrowly missed being seen.
However, the rangers returned to the area, noticing “fresh little human footprints,” which led them to the boy. “This was probably his last chance of being rescued after 5 days in the wilderness,” Murombedzi said.
Tinotenda’s resilience has inspired admiration on social media, with one user calling his story “beyond human comprehension,” while another remarked, “He’s going to have one hell of a story to tell when he gets back to school.”
