Eight-year-old boy found alive in game park after 5 days
Taking the wrong turn inside a game park is a wild experience, some might say...
We're shocked by a story about an eight-year-old boy who got lost inside a northern Zimbabwe game park, home to an array of wild animals.
According to a post shared on X by a Zimbabwean government member, the young boy wandered from home and found himself inside the Matusadonha National Park.
The boy was part of the Kasvisva community, Nyaminyami, in rural Kariba, where it is not difficult to lose your way and find yourself inside the game park.
According to NBC News, "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."
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.
💫 A boy missing & found in Matusadonha game park
— Mutsa Murombedzi MP🇿🇼 (@mutsamu) January 1, 2025
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… pic.twitter.com/z19BLffTZW
The boy went missing on December 27, 2024, but some of the details from Murombedzi's public service announcement did not match the statement released by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks).
They said the boy was seven and wandered "49 kilometres (30 miles) from his village 'through the harsh terrain of the lion-infested' game park to the point where he was located". However, Murombedzi's statement said he was 23km away from his village.
The young boy was resourceful enough to keep himself nourished with fruits while avoiding dangerous encounters with wild animals. This is an extraordinary story that reminds us of our innate ability to be resilient and adapt to our surroundings. Of course, his familiarity with village life likely played an important role in his ability to navigate and survive in such conditions.
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Image Courtesy of X