An eight-year-old boy has been found alive after five days in a game park populated by lions and elephants in northern Zimbabwe, according to a member of parliament.
The ordeal began when Tenotenda Padu wandered into the “dangerous” Matusadona game park, 23 kilometers (14 miles) from home, Mashonaland West MP Matsa Murumbidzi said on X.
He said he spent five days “sleeping on a rocky perch, among roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits.”
Matusadona Game Park has about 40 tigers. At one point, it had the highest density of lions in Africa. African Parks.
The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority confirmed the incident to the BBC but did not share further details.
Murombedzi said the boy uses his knowledge of the wild and survival skills to survive.
Tenotenda survived his ordeal by eating wild fruit. He also dug small wells in dry riverbeds with a stick to access drinking water.
Members of the local Nyaminyami community started a search party and beat drums every day to try to bring him back home.
But eventually, it was the park rangers who managed to find him.
On his fifth day in the forest, Tenotenda heard the sound of a ranger’s car and ran towards it, narrowly missing him, the MP said.
Fortunately, the rangers returned, saw “fresh small human footprints” and searched the area until they found him.
“It was probably the last chance to be rescued after 5 days in the wilderness,” MP said.
The park covers more than 1,470 square kilometers (570 sq mi) and is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, tigers, and deer.
People on social media are praising the young lad for his resilience.
“This is beyond human understanding,” one person wrote on X.
Another user wrote: “He’s going to have one hell of a story when he gets back to school.”