A young boy was found alive in a game park in Zimbabwe after he went missing for several days.
Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of parliament in Mashonaland West, shared the “harrowing” story of eight-year-old Tinotenda Pudu in a Jan. 1 post on X, calling the event a “true miracle.”
Murombedzi said that the boy had wandered 23 kilometers (approximately 14.3 miles) away from his community, located in rural Kariba, and got lost, leading him into Matusadona National Park.
In the park, she said he slept on a “rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants” and ate wild fruit. However, after five days, he was found alive by park rangers.
“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the brave park rangers, the tireless Nyaminyami community who beat night drums each day to get the boy hear sound & get the direction back home & everyone who joined the search,” Murombedzi added.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) shared a statement about the incident on X, confirming that the boy went missing on Dec. 27, 2024, and was located on Dec. 31, 2024.
ZimParks said the boy was seven years old and estimated that he walked 49 kilometers (approximately 30 miles) from his village “through the harsh terrain of the lion infested” park. The statement said that rangers were presented “challenges posed by heavy rainfall, which disturbed the child’s footprints.”
“During this period, he survived on wild fruits and would dig a small hole along the dry river bank to access underground water to drink, a technique that is well known in drought prone areas,” the statement continued.
ZimParks said the boy was taken to a local clinic for “preliminary examinations” before he was transferred to a hospital for “further medical evaluations.”
Murombedzi shared further details of the boy’s experience on X, sharing that Pudu had heard the park rangers’ vehicles and attempted to run toward them, but was too late.
He returned to the “rocky outcrop” and when the rangers came back on the same path, they discovered his footprints and found him in the area.
In an update shared on X Jan. 4, Murombedzi said that she was in contact with the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the medical director of Mashonaland West about Pudu’s health.
“They have assured me that now that he has rested & was stabilized, a mental health team will soon assess him, focusing on his mental health, to ensure he has not suffered lasting trauma,” she explained.