By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
HARARE (Worthy News) – A young boy who disappeared in northern Zimbabwe after wandering into a game park teeming with lions and elephants has miraculously survived five agonizing days alone in the jungle, Worthy News learned Saturday.
Tinotenda Pudu strayed into the Matusadona Game Park and ended up “sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants… and just the unforgiving wild,” before being found by rangers, said Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of Zimbabwe’s parliament.
The legislator wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that the boy walked at least 23 kilometers (14 miles) from his home in the rural town of Kariba.
The Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority confirmed the incident but said the child was seven years old rather than eight, as the legislator suggested. It also estimated that the boy walked 49 kilometers (30 miles) from home, even further than previously thought.
Officials said that the southern African nation’s Matusadona Game Park is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, and antelopes—but it also hosts some 40 lions, making it an incredibly dangerous environment.
Murombedzi explained that Tinotenda survived by using his knowledge of wildlife and survival skills.
He reportedly ate wild fruits and dug small holes in dry riverbeds with a stick to find water—a technique he had learned growing up in a drought-prone region.
BEATING DRUMS
The legislator recalled that the local Nyaminyami community members organized a search and rescue mission, beating drums daily to guide the boy back home.
Despite their efforts, it was park rangers who eventually located him.
On the fifth day, Tinotenda heard a ranger’s vehicle and ran toward it, but he narrowly missed being seen, Murombedzi wrote.
Yet the rangers soon discovered “fresh little human footprints,” scoured the area, and found him. This was probably his last chance of being rescued” following days in the wilderness, she stressed.
“After five long, harrowing days in the jungle near Hogwe River, which feeds into Ume River, the boy has been found alive by the incredible rangers” from the Matusadona Game Park, the legislator explained.
Though the boy was described as “extremely weak” and rushed to hospital for medical care, his survival has been hailed as a testament to courage and “the power of prayer.”
“Above all, we thank God for watching over Tinotenda and leading him back home safely. This is a testament to the power of unity, hope, prayer, and never giving up,” Murombedzi added.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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