Young boy survives 5 days in 'lion infested' African game park after wandering from home

A missing young boy was found alive after spending five days alone in a game park in northern Zimbabwe filled with wild animals, according to a member of the country's parliament.

Mutsa Murombedzi shared news of the "true miracle" Wednesday on X.

According to Murombedzi, 8-year-old Tinotenda Pudu wandered 23 kilometers (14 miles) away from his home, lost his way and "unknowingly headed into the perilous Matusadonha game park." She described the area where the boy is from as "a community where one wrong turn could easily lead into a game park."

The boy was missing for five days in the jungle near the Hogwe River, Murombedzi said, where he slept on a rocky perch "amidst roaring lions, passing elephants" and ate wild fruits to survive.

She said members of the local Nyaminyami community beat drums every day to try to guide the boy back home.

But it was rangers from Matusadona Africa Parks who eventually found the boy, according to Murombedzi.

In a separate statement shared Friday, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) confirmed the rescue, but said the boy was 7 years old and that he had wandered 49 kilometers (30 miles) from his village "through the harsh terrain of the lion infested" game park to the point where he was located.

ZimParks said the boy vanished on Dec. 27 and that a search operation began immediately after they received the report that he was missing.

The agency said it ran into trouble during the search mission because of heavy rain that was washing away the boy's footprints.

On Dec. 30, ZimParks said footprints were located in the Sakata Valley area of Matusadona National Park. They found the boy the next day.

ZimParks said the boy was first taken to a local clinic, then a hospital for medical evaluation after the ordeal.

Murombedzi shared an update on the boy's condition Saturday. She said medical officials told her the boy has rested and is stable, but is awaiting an evaluation from a mental health team to ensure he will not suffer lasting trauma.

"Above all, we thank God for watching over Tinotenda and leading him back home safely," Murombedzi said in her Wednesday post. "This is a testament to the power of unity, hope, prayer and never giving up."