Boy survives 5 nights lost in “relentless wilderness” of game park full of lions, hippos and elephants
A boy has been rescued after surviving five days in a game park full of lions and elephants in Zimbabwe, a lawmaker in the East African country said this week.
Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of Zimbabwe’s parliament, said on Wednesday publish on social networks that Tinotenda Pudu wandered into the Matusadona Game Park and ended up “sleeping on a rocky plinth, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants… and just unforgiving wildlife,” before eventually being found by rangers.
CBS News affiliate BBC News said the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority confirmed the incident and said Pudu was only 7 years old. The BBC reported a statement from the park management that the boy wandered about 30 miles from where he lives.
Murombedzi said Pudu survived thanks to his knowledge of the wilderness and survival skills, eating fruit and digging in dry riverbeds to find water.
She said members of the local Nyaminyami community launched their own search and beat drums daily in the hope that Pudu would find his way home, but eventually rangers spotted “fresh little human footprints” and were able to track him down.
Matusadona Game Park covers about 570 square miles and is home to elephants, hippos and lions, all of which can pose a threat to humans. As the BBC reports, it is currently home to about 40 lions.
Murombedzi praised the rangers and the local community for their tireless efforts to find Pudu, calling his safe return “a testament to the power of unity, hope, prayer and never giving up”.
