A 7-year-old boy survived five days lost and alone in a game park filled with elephants and lions, according to a politician who called his rescue “a true miracle.”
Tinotenda Pudu “wandered away, lost direction & unknowingly headed into the perilous Matusadonha game park” in Zimbabwe, local Member of Parliament Mutsa Murombedzi explained on X.
The youngster ended up nearly 15 miles from home and spent five days “sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants” while eating wild fruits in the “unforgiving wild,” the MP said.
3 Tinotenda Pudu survived five days lost and alone in the dangerous game park. @mutsamu/X
It was all “too much” for a child, Murombedzi said of Pudu, who was actually 7, a year younger than the politician described him, officials later told the BBC.
The game park spans nearly 570 square miles and once had the highest density of lions in Africa. It is also home to leopards, buffalos, zebras, elephants, hippos and antelope, according to African Parks.
Search teams looked for Pudu for the next five days, beating drums to try to get the young boy to follow the sound, Murombedzi said.
3 Matusadona Park is a haven for wild beasts — including lions, leopards, and buffalo. Matusadona Lions Project
3 Pudu was discovered five days after disappearing after park rangers found his footprints. De Agostini via Getty Images
Pudu wasn’t discovered until he heard a ranger’s car and tried to run toward it. He missed the car, but left “fresh little human footprints,” leading park rangers to him, the MP said.
“This was probably his last chance of being rescued after 5 days in the wilderness,” the MP wrote. “A true miracle.”
Thanking God “for watching over Tinotenda and leading him back home safely,” Murombedzi added: “This is a testament to the power of unity, hope, prayer and never giving up.”