8-Year-Old’s Unbelievable 5-Day Survival Tale in Lion Territory
An eight-year-old boy named Tinotenda Pudu from Zimbabwe has been found alive after surviving five days in the perilous Matusadona Game Park, a wildlife sanctuary known for its dense populations of lions and elephants.
Tinotenda wandered approximately 23 kilometers from his home in the remote Kasvisva community near Nyaminyami in rural Kariba, inadvertently entering the game park. During his ordeal, he relied on survival skills common in drought-prone regions: consuming wild fruits and using a stick to dig small wells in dry riverbeds to access drinking water.
The local Nyaminyami community initiated a search by beating drums each night to guide him back. Ultimately, park rangers from Matusadona Africa Parks located him.
On the fifth day, Tinotenda heard a ranger’s vehicle and ran toward it but missed it. The rangers noticed fresh footprints, continued their search, and found him hours later.
Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of parliament from Mashonaland West, described the event as a “true miracle,” highlighting the boy’s resilience in such a dangerous environment.
Matusadona Game Park spans over 1,470 square kilometers and is home to a variety of wildlife, including about 40 lions, elephants, zebras, and hippos.