An eight-year-old boy has been found alive after surviving for five days in a theme park inhabited by lions and elephants in northern Zimbabwe, according to a member of parliament.
The ordeal began when Tinotenda Bodo wandered 23 kilometers (14 miles) from his home to the “risky” Matusaduna Game Park, Mashonaland West MP Motsa Murumbidzi said on Channel X.
She added that he spent five days “sleeping on a rocky place among visiting lions, passing by elephants, and eating wild fruits.”
Matosadonna Game Park is home to about 40 lions. At one time, it had one of the highest lion populations in Africa, according to African gardens.
Murombedze said the boy used his knowledge of wildlife and survival skills to survive.
Tinutanda survived his ordeal by eating wild fruit. He also dug small wells in dry riverbeds with a stick to obtain drinking water – a skill taught in drought-prone areas.
Members of the local Nyaminyame community started a search party and played drums every day to try to guide him home.
But in the end, it was the park rangers who were able to find him.
On his fifth day in the wilderness, Tinotanda heard a ranger's car and ran toward it, narrowly missing it, the deputy said.
Fortunately, the guards returned, spotted “small fresh human footprints,” and searched the area until they found him.
“This may have been his last chance to be rescued after 5 days in the wilderness,” the deputy said.
The park covers an area of more than 1,470 square kilometers (570 square miles) and is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, lions, and antelope.
Across social media, people praised the little boy for his resilience.
“This is beyond human comprehension,” one person wrote on X.
“He'll have a great story to tell when he goes back to school,” another user wrote.
