According to reports, an 8-year-old Zimbabwean child managed to survive in a wildlife park for close to a week.
- 8-year-old Zimbabwean child survives in Matusadona Game Park for almost a week.
- Managed to survive amidst lions and passing elephants by sleeping on a rocky perch and eating wild fruits.
- Utilized knowledge of nature to eat edible plants and dig tiny wells for drinking water.
Tinotenda Pudu, who found himself at the Matusadona Game Park, home to various wildlife including lions and elephants, was reported to have survived 5 days with said wild creatures.
Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of the Zimbabwean parliament made the revelation via a post on X, as reported by the BBC.
She noted that the boy had been “sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits.”
The BBC received proof of the incident from the Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority, but no other information was provided.
Tinotenda Pudu ordeal
According to Murombedzi, the young boy survived by utilizing his knowledge of nature and awareness skills.
Tinotenda ate edible plants to help him through. To obtain drinking water, he also used a stick to dig tiny wells into arid riverbeds, a technique that was taught in the region that is prone to drought.
Members of the nearby Nyaminyami tribe organized a search party and pounded drums every day, to route him home.
But in the end, park authorities were able to locate and rescue him, the BBC report states.
The MP who tweeted about the incident revealed that the young boy heard a ranger’s car on his fifth day in the game park and sprinted toward it, nearly missing it.
Fortunately, the rangers came back, saw “fresh little human footprints,” and looked around until they located him.”
Matusadona Game Park
The park, which spans more than 1,470 square kilometers (570 square miles), is home to numerous wild animals including antelope, zebras, elephants, hippos, and lions.
The Matusadona game park is said to have around forty lions as per data from African Parks. Additionally, the park formerly boasted one of the largest concentrations of lions in Africa.
