'A true miracle': 7-year-old boy survives 5 days in lion-infested game park in Zimbabwe

Tinotenda used his knowledge of the wild and survival skills. He ate wild fruits. He also dug small wells into dry riverbeds with a stick to access drinking water, a skill taught in the drought-prone area.

A young boy who had gone missing was found alive after surviving five days in a national park in Northern Zimbabwe. The Matusadona game park is known for it's lion population, wild elephants, and black rhino.

A member of the Zimbabwean Parliament for Mashonaland West Province, Mutsa Murombedzi, called the boy's discovery "a true miracle" in a post shared on X. She said the ordeal occurred in Nyaminyami, a community in rural Kariba, "where one wrong turn could easily lead into a game park."

The boy, Tinotenda Pudu, was reported missing from his home on December 27, 2024, as per the statement from Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Managment Authority (ZimParks).

Park rangers, police officers and members of the local community launched a search operation immediately. However the search operations were slowed due to heavy rains that kept washing away the boy's footprints.

According to Murombedzi, Tinotenda slept on a rocky perch, evading lions and elephants walking by.

Tinotenda used his knowledge of the wild and put his survival skills into play. He ate wild fruits and dug small wells into dry riverbeds with a stick to access drinking water, a skill taught in the drought-prone area.

Members of the local Nyaminyami community would beat drums every day to try and guide him back home.

"Remarkably, it is estimated that he walked through the harsh terrain of the lion infested Matusadona National Park for 49 kilometers (30 miles) from his village to the point where he was found," ZimParks said.

Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. The park which covers an area of about 1,470 square kilometers, at one point, had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to African Parks.

According to a report by BBC, Tinotenda heard a ranger's car and ran toward it, narrowly missing it. When the rangers returned they spotted "fresh little human footprints," and searched the area until they found him.

Tinotenda was taken to a local clinic for preliminary examination and was later taken to a hospital for further medical evaluation, according to ZimParks.

In an update shared by Murombedzi, Tinotenda has rested and is stable but is awaiting an evaluation from a mental health team to ensure he will not suffer lasting trauma.