Missing 8-year-old boy survives 5 days in lion-inhabited game park

Friday, January 3, 2025 - An eight-year-old boy in Zimbabwe, Tinotenda Pudu, has been found alive after spending five days in Matusadona Game Park, a wildlife sanctuary known for its large populations of lions and elephants. 

This was disclosed on X by Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi who described the park as “perilous.” 

According to her, the boy wandered 23 kilometres from his home into the dangerous park, prompting a frantic search by the local community and park rangers. 

She noted that the park, located in northern Zimbabwe, is home to about 40 lions and is known for having one of the highest lion population densities in Africa. Despite the threats posed by predators and harsh conditions, Tinotenda survived by relying on his knowledge of the wild.  

She added that the boy ate wild fruits and used a stick to dig small wells in dry riverbeds for drinking water, a survival technique common in the drought-prone region. 

She explained that the local Nyaminyami community began the search by beating drums daily to help guide the boy back home. However, it was the park rangers who eventually located him. On the fifth day, Tinotenda heard a ranger’s car and ran toward it but was initially missed. Later, the rangers discovered fresh footprints, which led them to the boy.

She tweeted, “A true miracle in remote Kasvisva community, Nyaminyami in rural Kariba, a community where one wrong turn could easily lead into a game park.  8-year-old Tinotenda Pudu wandered away, lost direction & unknowingly headed into the perilous Matusadonha game park. After 5 long, harrowing days in the jungle near Hogwe River, which feeds into Ume river, the boy has been found alive by the incredible rangers from Matusadona Africa Parks. His ordeal, wandering 23km from home, sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits and just the unforgiving wild i too much for an 8-year-old. 

“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. Above all, we thank God for watching over Tinotenda and leading him back home safely. This is a testament to the power of unity, hope, prayer and never giving up.” 

Matusadona Game Park spans over 1,470 square kilometres and hosts a wide range of wildlife, including zebras, hippos, antelope, and elephants.