8 Year old boy miraculously survives Lion inhabited park for 5 days

In northern Zimbabwe, an eight-year-old boy has been found alive after surviving five days in a game park inhabited by lions and elephants, according to a member of parliament.

The boy, Tinotenda Pudu wandered 23 km (14 miles) from home into the "scary" Matusadona Game Park, according to Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi on X.

Tinotenda spent five days "sleeping on a rocky perch, in the midst of roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits".

Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. And at one point, the park had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to African Parks.

Murombedzi said the boy used his knowledge of the wild and survival skills to stay alive.

To survive, Tinotenda ate wild fruit. He also dug small wells into dry riverbeds with a stick to access drinking water - a skill taught in the drought-prone area.

Members of the local Nyaminyami community started a search party and beat drums each day to try and guide him back home.

But ultimately, it was park rangers who managed to find him.

On his fifth day in the wild, Tinotenda heard a ranger's car and ran toward it, narrowly missing it but as luck would have it, the rangers returned, followed fresh little human footprints," and searched the area until they found him.

This, according to the MP, was probably his last chance of being rescued after 5 days in the wilderness,

The park is over 1,470 sq km (570 sq miles) and is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, lions, and antelope.